


I'm Your Lucky Charm

by GwennhaduBug



Series: Your Lucky Charm [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Can be read alone or as a sequel, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Post-Reveal Love Square, Sequel, my goal is to have enough fluff to fill a pillow, post-reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-07-05 11:14:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 86,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15862494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwennhaduBug/pseuds/GwennhaduBug
Summary: With a little luck from their lucky charms, Adrien and Marinette have figured out one another's identities. As they also figure out one another's romantic feelings, the two find that they have to figure out how to navigate a relationship on top of living the super-hero life. Especially when it becomes apparent that Adrien and Marinette have very different priorities...Adrien, who has always wanted to date Ladybug and has never known a life outside of the spotlight. Marinette, who values the safety of her secret identity and the importance of saving Paris more than almost anything. How do secrets, priorities, romance, and friendships play into their lives?This is the sequel to "You're My Lucky Charm", picking up about 20 minutes after where we left off.





	1. It's You

**Author's Note:**

> Hello new and old readers! We are picking up where we left off, right after Chapter 16 of [""You're My Lucky Charm""](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717156/chapters/34014455). If you haven't read the first story, you might be a little confused at some of the references in chapter 1 (Read chapters 15-16 to clear things up), but the other references will be fairly casual throughout the rest of the story.
> 
> As a reminder, I watch Miraculous Ladybug in French (with English subs), so I am writing this in English but as if the characters are speaking French. That means I will slip in French idioms or other non-translatable details. I will have hover text in-story and footnotes in my end notes to explain any of that.
> 
> I plan to update the story once a week. We won't really be EXACTLY where the characters are, calendar-wise, (for example, the story starts on October 18, 2018), but we'll hover around their timeline fairly accurately. This story is about two chapters away from completion...the rest is all buffered up until December.

Chat Noir watched as Ladybug threw her lucky charm- a dustpan today- up in the air and called out “Lucky Charm!”. With a whoosh of wind and a swarm of ladybugs, the Paris street returned to normal and civilians cheered. His eyes were all on her, his Ladybug, as she cleaned up and finished their battle, cleansing the akuma. Ladybug:  _ Marinette Dupain-Cheng!  _

Adrien had just confirmed that his best friend and new crush Marinette was moonlighting as his other best friend and long-time love. They’d realized their identities not even an hour earlier, so his mind was still reeling. As Ladybug released the purified akuma and wished it goodbye, Adrien imagined her doing so without the mask- his beautiful Marinette. He could see it. And it made him grin like an idiot.

Knowing his cue, he ran to her with a fist out. Chat could feel his grin splitting his face as he and she called “Bien Joué!”, connecting their fists. He kept staring at Ladybug, who was staring right back. She was smiling, biting her lip, then laughing in an awkward giggle. What were you supposed to do when you realized something like this? That you shared your biggest secret with the best possible person in the world?! 

They might have stood like that, staring and giggling unawares, if their miraculi didn’t ding for a fourth time in last-minute warning. “Oh, wow, we’re going to detransform,” Chat said, snapping to attention and perking his ears. He looked at his ring as if it was the first time. Then he looked up at Ladybug. How odd, that it wouldn’t matter if he saw her detransform. Should they just stay here?

“Then we have to get out of public,” Ladybug agreed. Oh, right. The public. That was still a thing. “You head that way,” she pointed off to the north, “I’ll follow after I check on our victim.”

“You don’t have a lot of time, Buginette,” Chat said.  _ Buginette!  _ Marinette  _ was his Buginette! And...oh, that rhymed. _ “Hey, Bug, did you noticed that ‘Buginette’ rhymes with-”

“ _ Chat. Go! _ ” Ladybug hissed. 

Chat laughed at himself. “Right, right, sorry. I’ll cat’ you soon!” He saluted to Ladybug. She waved, then turned her limited attention (she had what, 30 seconds?) to the victim before he sprinted off as fast as he could. Luckily, the victim’s friends were there for him already. 

He bounded from one wall to another until he climbed through alleys and onto a fairly familiar deserted street. Chat Noir dropped his transformation and Adrien dropped to the ground. Plagg flew out and sat on his knee, smirking at him. “I suppose you’re looking for your cheese?”

“I’m  _ always _ looking for my cheese, but first... _ I told you so _ !”

“You told me so about what?”

“ _ Marinette is behind the mask _ ,” Plagg replied in a sing-song voice. “I told you so!”

“You can’t use ‘I told you so’ when you knew it all along. That’s cheating. You saw her!” He pointed at his tiny, grinning kwami. “You knew all along that she was Ladybug! You knew I was in love with Marinette!” He pulled cheese out of his pocket and handed it to Plagg as Adrien shook his head. “You knew!”

 “Mon pauvre, I knew you were in love with Marinette _long_ before I knew she was Ladybug,” he said matter-of-factly. Plagg bit into his camembert. It dripped a little as he swallowed. “Remember? I told you THAT, too. The day you gave her your umbrella.”

 Adrien thought back to that rainy afternoon, just days after they met. He’d already fallen for Ladybug. Had he started to fall for Marinette that early, too? No, surely not. But he was definitely impressed with her that long.

 “Here she comes,” Plagg sang, peering down the alley. Adrien could hear Marinette’s soft footsteps approaching. It sounded like his classmate’s ballet flats, not the quick, silent feet of Ladybug’s costume. She must have already transformed back, too.

 Automatically, Adrien said, “Quick, Plagg! Hide!” 

 Plagg just turned back to look at him, raised a single brow, and took another bite of cheese. “Or I could not,” he said.

 Adrien didn’t even have time to realize _oh, of course he doesn’t have to anymore_ , before Marinette rounded the corner. He saw her and his heart flipped just a little bit. There she was! His amazing Marinette, his Miraculous Ladybug! Not that Marinette was _his_ , but… “Marinette!” Adrien called. He waved to her and Marinette smiled. Her eyes dropped from Adrien’s face down to his knee where a tiny black kwami sat, chowing down on cheese.

 Marinette hurried over to them both. “Hi, Adrien! Is this...is this your kwami?” She asked, bending down to look at him closer. “Plagg?”

 “This is him,” Adrien said, grinning. “He’s recharging right now.”

 Plagg flipped his tail behind him and stuck a tiny paw out. “ _Enchanté,_ ” he said formally as Marinette held his tiny paw with her fingers. 

 “You look so much like a cat!” Marinette said in surprise. 

 “What did you expect, Ladybug?” Plagg asked, “A mouse?”

 “Well, just that Tikki doesn’t look quite as much like a ladybug as you look like a cat.”

 Adrien’s eyes lit up. “That’s right! Can I meet Tikki now?”

 Marinette smiled. “I think that’s okay,” she agreed. She put a hand into her jacket, gently cradling her tired kwami. Marinette pulled a cookie out as well and handed it to her. “Tikki, meet Adrien and Plagg!”

 “Hello, Adrien!” Tikki said, waving slowly. “Hi again, Plagg! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” She took a big bite out of her cookie as Plagg flew up to visit his old friend on Marinette’s hand. Plagg pushed his forehead against Tikki’s in a gentle nuzzle, making her giggle. “Have you seen Trixx and Wayzz recently? They’re both looking really good, too.”

 “I saw Wayzz- doesn’t look a day over 4 million. Haven’t seen Trixx yet, though. You’ll have to give them a hard time for me!” Plagg said, excited. He looked over at Adrien and rolled his eyes. “I bet Trixx is with his _other_ best friend or something ridiculous like that. Our Chat Noir is a little in the dark sometimes.”

 “Oh, I’m sure Adrien is very smart. You shouldn’t tease your charge like that!” Tikki reprimanded. 

 Adrien looked down at Tikki. How come his kwami wasn’t so nice? “Thank you, Tikki.” He shook his head, looking back up at Marinette. “I just can’t wrap my head around this! All this time...she was _you_ , and you were _her_!”

 “How do you think I feel?” Marinette asked with a giggle. “Adrien Agreste all along...Chat Noir, my ridiculous, silly partner and best friend. I was _so_ nervous around you!”

 “And you’re _never_ nervous around Chat Noir,” he agreed.

 “Exactly!” Marinette laughed. “If I’d only known.”

 Adrien beamed. Before he could say something back, Tikki chirped up from Marinette’s palm. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Marinette, Adrien, don’t you need to get back to school?”

 “Oh, zut!” Marinette shouted, standing right up. “I completely forgot. Our study hour is over by now, Adrien! We have to go so we don’t miss our last class!”

 “Aw, Tikki, why did you have to remind them?” Plagg whined.

 “No, Plagg. Tikki and Marinette are right. We need to go. The school’s just two blocks down- I think we can run without transforming.”

 “Then let’s _go_!” Marinette said. She grabbed Adrien’s wrist, which sent a small thrill through his veins. Then they ran, their kwami’s quickly zooming to catch rides in each teen’s jacket. When they approached the lycée, it was clear other students had already gotten to class. “I’ve sucked you into my curse of being late, Adrien. I’m sorry!” Marinette whispered as they climbed the stairs.

 “You don’t think being Ch-...being with my cookies has gotten me late before? I finish at the same time you do!”

 “I guess you’re right,” Marinette said. She pushed open the door of the school and Adrien realized, sadly, that he wouldn’t see her until their last class was over at the earliest. “Let’s get together after your fencing practice so we can talk,” Marinette said.

 “How did you know I have fencing?”

 Marinette blushed. “I, uh...I wanted to be on the team, remember? Anyway! Text me when you’re done and we can meet up.” She leaned over and quickly kissed his cheek- faster than she had the night before as Ladybug. Adrien felt warm and swore he was the one blushing now. As French as it was to greet and say goodbye with a kiss, it was an entirely separate thrill to get one from Marinette where lips directly connected with his skin. She pulled away and had a curious, satisfied look on her face. But before he could ask why, she said, “Bye, Adrien!” and raced off to class.

 \---

 Adrien pulled off his fencing helmet and tossed his hair. Droplets of sweat flew in different directions, one landing on a nearby teammate, who squawked and swatted in frustration. “Oh, sorry man,” Adrien laughed. He pulled off his uniform and put away his gear without much other discussion amongst friends. Adrien had something else in mind, something important to get to. _Marinette_. He had thousands of questions for her and could not wait for answers. Not only that, but he wanted to see her again. 

 Now that Adrien knew Marinette, his crush, was the same person as Ladybug, his love… he felt like he was falling harder and harder for her. He had often wondered how it was possible he was friends with two such amazing women- the prospect felt a little like when he’d had two Ladybugs in the fight against Chronogirl. But this truth was even better! He opened his locker and pulled open his backpack. Plagg was sitting on a pile of clothing, holding Adrien’s phone out in front of him while watching cat videos on youtube; probably his playlist of cats breaking things and knocking stuff off of high surfaces. “Need this,” Adrien said, grabbing the phone out of his kwami’s grip.

 “Hey!!!” Plagg shouted.

 “Shush,” Adrien said, hoping none of his teammates noticed him arguing with his backpack. He pulled out his phone and noticed he had a few texts from Alya, Nino, Chloé, and Marinette. He opened Marinette’s first- “I hope fencing is going well! Let me know when you’re all done!”. Adrien grinned down at his phone. He replied immediately, “Fencing went great. I’m all done! Want to meet at your place or mine? I have to tell Nathalie where I am.” 

 Nino and Alya had almost the exact same message as each other, just asking what he and Marinette had talked about in the library (Nino’s also said to let her know what a badass she had been while defending Rose and Juleka). He told them both that he just wanted to make sure she was okay after the big scene she’d made in the courtyard. It turns out that was the subject of Chloé’s text, too. “Can you BELIEVE Marinette making such a big circus out of nothing? She gets mad at me for yelling at people and look what she did!  Yuck. Hypocrite much?” 

 Adrien frowned at that message. He really loved Chloé. She was the closest thing to a sister he had, even if that wasn’t how she saw the relationship. But you still love them unconditionally when their priorities don’t line up with yours. He replied to his friend, “I actually thought it was super brave. She was just protecting Juleka and Rose.”

 As soon as he’d sent his reply, Marinette had texted back. She said either was fine and that she was already home, so Adrien agreed to meet her there. He shouldered his bag, holding it under his armpit, and was about to be on his way when Plagg spoke up again. “Ugh, Adrien. I know a good stink and you have a _bad_ stink right now.”

 “Oh, merde[1]. I have to shower. Can you text Marinette and tell her I’m going home to shower first?” he said to his shoulder as he walked out. Thankfully, he’d convinced Monsieur Dargencourt that his bag had a bluetooth speaker in it. Not that Plagg normally did his bidding like an electric bag would, but the lie had stuck.

 “Okay, but don’t get mad when you find out that I told her you smell like gym socks filled with limburger left out in the sun. And I know that smell from experience! I had to live in a gym sock once!”

 Adrien ignored the threat (at least now he could truthfully blame it on Plagg) and raced to the car where his bodyguard was waiting. The drive was silent and quick until Adrien could bound up the steps. For once, he was genuinely glad to see Nathalie at the door. “Nathalie, hi!”

 “Hello, Adrien,” she said, shutting the door behind them. “You’re in a hurry.”

 “Yeah, um...remember how I have a presentation in school?”

 “With that girl Marinette, correct?” Nathalie pushed a few things on her tablet.

 “Yes. We have some last minute work to do and I told her I’d go to her house tonight. Can you tell Father where I’ll be?” Honestly, Adrien doubted Nathalie always told Gabriel where he was. They both knew ‘can you tell Father’ was really just a way for them to both pretend he would care.

 “That’s odd…” Nathalie said, looking over Adrien, then back to her tablet. “I have your presentation scheduled for today, not tomorrow.”

 “We, uh, took a later spot,” Adrien lied.

 Natalie pursed her lips and tapped a few other things on the tablet. “Most unfortunate. Your schoolwork always needs to come first, so of course, you can go complete your project. I will have to rearrange your meeting with Sebastian. He wanted to discuss your complexion.”

 “My complexion…?” Adrien asked, shocked.

 “Yes. You’ve gotten more sun this summer, but not consistently. You mustn’t forget to wear sunscreen evenly. Your face is paler right around your eyes, which won’t do. Sebastian wants to discuss options to even out your complexion before the Winter shoot. Ah, you both have an opening next Monday. I’ll move it to then.”

 Adrien sighed. Of course, on the first day off from school for Toussaint holidays[2], he would be working. But at least his lie had been convincing. “Alright...thanks, Nathalie. I’m going to go shower now.”

 “Will you be at Mademoiselle’s house for dinner?”

 “Oh...probably, yes.” Adrien smiled to himself at that idea. He loved having dinner at Marinette’s house. It felt like the family dinners he didn’t even get when his mom was around. He finished climbing the stairs and went to shower.

 Adrien showered as quickly as possible and when he went downstairs again, his bodyguard was already waiting. They got into the car and as Adrien rode, he checked his texts again. He updated Marinette that he was on his way, replied to Nino, and defended Marinette yet again to Chloé. Adrien hoped that maybe one day, she would stop seeing Marinette in all the negative ways Chloé saw her. After all, Marinette could be his first girlfriend very soon!

 It made sense to Adrien. He had fallen in love with Ladybug. Adrien was growing to love all of Ladybug, all of Marinette, more with every interaction. On top of that, if Nino’s comments were any indication, it seemed like Marinette might reciprocate… god, he hoped she did. By the time he arrived at the T&S Boulangerie-Patisserie, he was practically giggling at the idea.

 Adrien thanked his driver and went up the steps to the boulangerie. Tom and Sabine were inside finishing up some last evening orders before closing up for the day. Sabine lit up when she saw Adrien. “Good evening, Adrien! It’s lovely to see you. I heard you and Marinette had an incredible presentation today!”

 With a grin, Adrien nodded. “We did. I think Madame Bustier was really pleased.”

 “After all the hard work and time you two have put into your project, I’m not surprised,” she replied. 

 Tom added, “I hope you two can show us part of it tonight! Are you staying for dinner, son?”

 Adrien nodded. “As long as Marinette’s cool with it, I was planning on that.” 

 As if called by her name, Marinette pushed her way through the swinging door and into the boulangerie. “Adrien! Hi, you’re here!”

 Sabine looked over her shoulder at her daughter and smiled. “We were just inviting Adrien to stay for dinner.”

 “Oh, um, thanks, maman,” Marinette said. She waved Adrien to come over. “Let’s go up to my room. I’ve got the games set up.”

 Adrien walked towards her but before he could leave, Sabine sighed. “It’s very sweet that you’re meeting for games tonight. You’d think after your long project you two would be sick of each other!” She beamed at Adrien and Marinette. “Adrien, are you going anywhere over break?”

 “No, Madame,” he answered.

 “Then I expect we will see a lot more of you, won’t we?”

 “ _Maman!_ ” Marinette groaned. 

 Tom laughed. He slapped Adrien’s shoulder as the teenager walked by, nearly home free to Marinette in the doorway. “Aw, Marinette. You know we can’t let a visitor walk through our bakery to visit you without teasing you at least once!”

 “I wish you _wouldn’t_!” she whined. “Come on, Adrien,”

 Adrien and Marinette raced up the two flights of stairs to her room. There were no games set up, but Marinette _had_ arranged chairs and on a nearby table, a plate stacked with cookies and cheese. Tikki sat at the plate, literally vibrating with excitement. Plagg flew out of Adrien’s jacket the moment he smelled it, humming in delight to go join his kwami friend. They had a lot to catch up on, too.

 Marinette sat in her desk chair, leaving the other one for Adrien. Adrien could see she looked a little nervous. He hoped she was also as excited as he was. He sat down and spoke up. “So...this whole time?”

 “Ever since Stoneheart,” Marinette confirmed. “To think Chat Noir was sitting in front of me in class for the past two years!”

 “I used to imagine that Ladybug lived in the 17th, or the 18th,” Adrien told her, shaking his head. “That she had this hugely unique life from me. And you were always so happy when we could would patrol that far out- I figured it was so she could go home easier!”

 Marinette laughed. “I just liked visiting something different in the city for once! All those times you asked to know who I was… I was just Marinette. We already knew each other!”

 “I don’t think there’s a ‘just’ Marinette,” Adrien told her, smiling wide. “But all those times I _saved_ Marinette...I was making our battle even more frustrating. Pulling you away and hiding you from the fight!”

 “Chaton, you act like I’m a damsel in distress,” Marinette laughed. 

 Adrien’s heart swelled at the nickname Ladybug gave him. Somehow, it was even sweeter to hear it on Marinette’s lips. “No, you’re definitely not that!”

 “It’s good that you hid me. It keeps my identity safe from my friends and family. But as sweet as it was, I wish you hadn’t insisted on making sure Marinette was _so_ safe!”

 “What about those times you were protecting me as Adrien? _Volpina?_ ” Adrien brought up. “I’m laughing now, but I was so frustrated! You almost gave up your miraculous for an illusion.”

 “Yeah... I can see now why you were so confident he wasn’t real,” Marinette admitted, laughing. “I was so scared!”

 The back and forth continued for an hour or so until Marinette’s parents knocked on her trap door. The kwamis flew under a blanket and Adrien quickly stopped talking about their superpowers. The door swung open and Tom and Sabine stuck their heads up. 

 “Dinner’s ready, you two!”

 “Thanks, Maman,” Marinette said. She and Adrien stood up to follow the family into the kitchen. Once Marinette’s parents were out of sight, Tikki and Plagg flew to join them again. Tom had served leftover quiche; the ones that were not quite pretty enough to sell. 

 He adjusted silverware and said, “Sorry dinner tonight isn’t that exciting. We didn’t know you were coming until this afternoon, Adrien.”

 “Oh don’t worry about it Monsieur Dupain. I love your quiche!”

 Sabine smiled. “That’s only because you don’t live here. The more often you stay for dinner, the more often you’ll see we eat a lot of leftovers.” She paused. “What are your favorite meals? If you keep coming over this frequently, I want to make sure you’re well fed.”

 Adrien smiled. He could feel Marinette bristle in embarrassment next to him, but to Adrien, nothing was kinder. His own chef didn’t ask for Adrien’s input! “To be totally honest, your quiche is probably my favorite,” Adrien said. 

 Tom smirked right back. “Brown-nosing will get you everywhere, son,”

 The family served themselves quiche and Sabine began to fill the teenagers in on her and Tom’s day. Adrien loved to hear this part. His father had once claimed they didn’t need to eat dinner together because ‘surely you don’t have enough conversation to make it more profitable to waste dinner meeting hours’. And yet, Tom and Sabine who did the same thing day in and day out never stopped delighting in telling Marinette (and now Adrien) about their customers, baking mishaps, and even the things they saw on TV during breaks. 

 Marinette told them all about her day at school. The things Chloé had said, the hardest classes, and at her parents’ bidding, both of them recalled in detail their lucky charm presentation. “Study hall went long because there was an Akuma Attack nearby,” Marinette told them quickly. 

 “Oh, we heard it from here!” Sabine agreed. She dished herself a little more salad. “It was just a few blocks away. I hope no one in school was affected?”

 “No, we stayed safe this time. It just delayed the professor in traffic,” she easily lied. But Adrien froze: her chronological report had jumped from their presentation directly into the last period. 

 “Marinette, wait! You didn’t tell them what happened after Mademoiselle Bustier’s class!”

 Marinette spun her head so fast, her pigtails nearly hit Adrien in the face. “I’m not going to tell them about Lemonade and Cookies,” Marinette said cautiously, her eyes digging into Adrien’s. 

 Adrien ignored the polite and interested comment from her mom about refreshments. “No, not that. Before that. In the courtyard!” He could see recognition change Marinette’s expression. She bit her lip and looked at her plate, a little embarrassed. So Adrien instead looked over at her parents. “You should have seen it, Madame et Monsieur. There were these two older classmates. I wasn’t there to hear what they said-“

 Marinette interrupted. Still looking at her plate, she mumbled, “They were making fun of Rose and Juleka. They were trying to tear their rainbow poster and called them ‘dykes’ and said they wouldn’t have a poster like that if they got together with real men.”

 Adrien paused. He looked over at Marinette in shock, but Tom answered first. “That’s _horrible!_ ”

 Sabine said, “Those poor girls! I can’t even imagine. What dreadful kids! Isn’t your generation better than that??”

 Tom spoke again. “Did Principal Damocles get involved? Did you do anything?”

 “She sure did,” Adrien bragged. “Marinette jumped in between Rose, Juleka, and the bullies and started yelling at them. But she wasn’t just yelling. She had this incredible power stance and was reciting the most amazing things. She said… oh wait, even better. Alya posted it on Snapchat.”

 Marinette’s eyes snapped up. “She did?”

 “You didn’t see?” Adrien asked. He was already pulling out his phone. “Do you mind if I show them?”

 Marinette bit her lip. She looked at her parents and quietly said to her maman, “I swear in it.”

 Sabine put a hand to her chest in mock horror, as if clutching her pearls. “My little princess? _Swearing_?” She laughed. “In this situation, I’d be surprised if you didn’t, mon cœur. I don’t mind. Pull up the video, Adrien!”

 Adrien opened Snapchat and did as told. He planned on saving it to his phone however possible. Alya had posted it in three parts, the first captioned, ‘Look at my girl tear these homophobes to shreds’, the next with a series of explosion emojis, and the third had three clapping emojis, ‘I’m so proud’ and more clapping emojis. A heart eyes emoji sticker floated in the corner. As Adrien played Alya’s snapchat story, his own pride in Marinette continued to grow. _Look at my Marinette. My Ladybug._ And so grew the pride shining in her parents’ eyes. When he finished the story, her parents exploded into applause. 

 “Marinette! Mon Chou!” Tom laughed in delight. With a loud scrape, he pushed his chair out and stood up. He lifted Marinette into a hug, laughing into her hair and kissing her head. “I’m so proud of you!”

 “For causing a public disturbance?” Marinette said. But she was smiling as Tom squeezed her tight. 

 “For doing what was right and showing those girls how loved they are!”

 Sabine also stood up. “Marinette, I think this calls for dessert richer than just fruit. I’m getting the Napoleons out of the patisserie. Don’t try to tell me you weren’t eying them!”

 The four of them returned to their seats when Sabine brought out four pastries and set one in front of everyone’s plate. Then she lifted her glass. “Tchiner.[3] To Marinette, Defender of Love!”

 Marinette giggled, flushing red, but she too lifted her glass. The group all said “Tchin!” And then proceeded to eat and drink, talking and laughing again. 

 Adrien couldn’t keep his eyes off of Marinette. She had cheeks tinged with pink and a wide smile. It looked different than her smile after a night of saving Paris, and it was even more beautiful. Ladybug knew she could save her friends, but somehow Marinette was always still so surprised. Adrien wasn’t. She was his hero, in and out of the mask. And as he sipped from his glass, he swore to himself that she would know it- that the whole world would know it. Ladybug was Chat Noir’s hero, Marinette was Adrien’s hero, and that incredible girl in every version and iteration was his inspiration.

  During dessert, Adrien’s phone rang. His ride was ready to pick him up for the night. Adrien frowned into the phone- he didn’t want to go. He loved spending time with this family, loved being with Marinette, and felt they’d only touched the tip of the iceberg with all the conversations they needed to have. So Adrien agreed, then called Marinette over. “I have to go home. My bodyguard is going to be really careful to make sure I get home safely...but I still want to talk to you. Could we meet up again? At 10:30, on the roof of the school?”

 “The school? We’ve never met at the school before.”

 “It’s in between our two houses. Not my fault we didn’t know it would be convenient,” Adrien teased. Marinette smiled and agreed. “I’ll see you there.”

 Adrien grinned. This time, he was the one to peck Marinette’s cheek. He returned to the kitchen and thanked her parents, apologizing that he couldn’t stay to help clean up. They wished him well and expressed hope to see him soon. If that meant more time with Marinette out of costume, Adrien had to hold the same hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Merde: Shit  
> 2 Toussaint Holidays: 'Toussaint' is All Saints Day, a popular Catholic holiday. It's also a convenient mid-term in France, and the kids get about 2 weeks off of school the last two weeks of October.  
> 3Tchiner/Tchin: "Tchin" is an onomatopoeia (for clinking glasses!) and is used like 'cheers'. "Tchiner" is the verb. To 'cheers' with your glasses!


	2. Sleepless in Paris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up for this week's chapter: we are about to delve into the mind of a sleep-deprived teenage girl, even more specifically our girl MARINETTE, who is already over dramatic and constantly overthinks things even when she's had her sleep. So. Be prepared for a lot of emotional ping-pong.

On the roof of their own lycée, Ladybug and Chat Noir had covered every topic they could think of, but the conversation just kept flowing. They had two years of shared memories to recollect. Memories of close friends being akumatized, the school under attack, and how hard it was to keep secrets. Marinette confessed it was mainly this secret that drove her and Luka apart, as Adrien had guessed earlier that afternoon. But when Chat tried to use that opportunity to talk about his offer to keep all of her secrets if they were dating, Ladybug pivoted the conversation away.

 They talked about superpowers they had, powers they wish extended to their regular lives, and powers akumas had that they envied. They talked about Jagged Stone, both just his music and saving his life multiple times. Ladybug told Chat Noir everything she knew about the mysteries of the miraculous and Adrien listened attentively. She told her story of meeting Master Fu, how she discovered Ladybug had fought in Ancient Egypt and maybe earlier, and _almost_ everything she knew about the other miraculi. After all, she didn’t want to spill Alya’s secret for her. Adrien confessed that he had been interested in his father’s book because he recognized Ladybug and Chat Noir and Marinette promised Master Fu could show him the digital version if his father didn’t let him see it again. (Adrien was sure Gabriel wouldn’t.)

 It was wonderful to get to share all of this with her partner. Keeping secrets was hard normally, but not telling Chat Noir every possible detail about their own miraculous, lest it give Marinette away, had been a different kind of torture. She felt a dozen kilos lighter as they shed their secrets. Now, the only thing Adrien didn’t know about Marinette was her feelings for him.

 Ladybug smiled down at her partner. Chat Noir was laying on his back, his head on her lap, curled into an S-shape with his tail flicking lazily on the roof of the school. They had been talking for hours upon hours, breaking to get a midnight snack, and then to walk along the roof of the Notre Dame, but always returned to the same spot. Chat had tried multiple positions as they talked- sitting like a normal boy at first, but as the night drew on longer, he seemed more and more comfortable resorting to cat-like postures and poses. He had even spent an entire conversation nuzzling Ladybug’s shoulder as they talked about their kwamis. (Whenever Marinette had heard Adrien in Chat’s voice, breathing against her neck, she nearly fell off the roof.)

 She was scratching behind his ears, Chat’s eyes closed in delight. “You should really talk to Chloé about all these akumas she causes,” Ladybug said, continuing their conversation. “It’s your own friend’s fault that you’re working so much!”

 “She really is trying,” Chat replied. “The Zombizou situation made her see some sense, I think. You were very kind to her- she even admitted that to me.”

 “She did?!”

 “I’m not kitten you; she did!” Chat said. “Both Marinette and Ladybug impressed her that day. Of course the Ladybug bit of the story may have been exaggerated...did you really tell her that you were so glad she hadn’t been transformed so you two could hug safely?”

 Ladybug groaned. “No, I definitely didn’t.”

 Chat laughed. “I’m not surprised. I thought that was a little odd.” His eyes suddenly went from a soft close to a squint. Chat angrily meowed and batted a hand in front of his eyes. “What’s that?”

 Marinette looked to the east. A sliver of light was rising over the buildings. She hadn’t even noticed, it was so bare, but Chat had night vision. She supposed that even with eyes shut, he could pick up the slightest changes in lighting. “I think that’s sunrise,” she answered.

 Immediately, Chat bolted upright. He looked out to the east and his face split into a grin. He turned to Ladybug and threw his arms around her in a tight hug. “We did it!” He laughed.

 “We did what? Survived another day?”

 “Stayed out until sunrise!” Chat corrected. He laughed in delight and lowered his hug to squeeze around her waist. The hug was tight and warm and Marinette was happy to reciprocate. It usually felt good to be in Chat’s embrace, but knowing Adrien was under the suit and that he was the one hugging her, it was that much better. “I have _always_ wanted to stay out talking all night until sunrise with you, Buginette.” _Of course he has_ , Marinette thought. She remembered with a tinge of strange jealousy how much Chat, and therefore Adrien, loved _Ladybug_. And she was glad for that! Adrien saw and appreciated both sides of her. He was friends with both sides of her. But Chat Noir idolized Ladybug so much...were they maybe now going backwards instead of forwards in their relationship? Or had the comfortable discussions they'd had all day and all night been a precursor to something more? God, this was complicated. There was so much to consider and think about. But Chat Noir, on the other hand, was just rubbing her back and nuzzling her neck and purring, “It’s even better than I ever imagined clawsible.”

 Ladybug cleared her throat. Instinctively, Chat released the hug. “We should really get going, though. If it’s sunrise, it means we might already be late for school…” she looked to the east, squinting into the light. October sunrises came late in Paris. She turned to Chat, who also seemed to realize the severity of the situation. He probably was going to have to have some excuse for Nathalie and his bodyguard to why he wasn’t in his room right now. “Remember, no talking about missions or anything Ladybug and Chat Noir related outside of costume.”

 “Which includes texting, unless in code,” Chat agreed, counting their new rules on his clawed fingertips.

 “No using our real names in costume without being completely certain we’re alone,” Ladybug continued, 

 “No Ladybug and Chat Noir nicknames outside of costume. No Buginette, no ‘My Lady’, no chaton, no minou…”

 “No fraternization outside of what looks normal if one of us is suited up and the other isn’t.” 

 “We keep up with each other’s alibis and protect each other’s identities at all chances,”

 “And if one of us sees a need to save Paris, we contact the other with coded information.” Ladybug said their last rule with a stern nod. 

 Ladybug smiled. They were going to do this. Sure, she felt a little awkward and uncertain about their romantic footing. Before their shared reveal, their friendship had never been stronger. In fact, just days earlier, Marinette had started to wonder if there was a possibility for more, budding right under that ‘just friends’ surface. But now, not only was she potentially not 'just friends', she also wasn't 'just Marinette'. Honestly, that just made everything more uncertain, awkward, and downright terrifying to her. But as scary as changing things with Adrien was, seeing him as Chat Noir was going...surprisingly well. That is, for the last 20 hours at least. God, 20 hours...20 hours without any sleep. “Good luck at school today,” Marinette said with a laugh. 

 “You too, My Lady,” Chat got down on all fours to pounce away, but first he stretched, then released a a long yawn. “Two more days, then we get a break.” 

 The two leapt in the opposite directions to their houses. Marinette only had time to sneak in through her room, grab her books, run downstairs for a pastry breakfast and cookie for Tikki on the way out, and run back to the school she had just left. The sun was still barely coloring Paris as she sprinted to the building- it looks like she’d be on time after all! Maybe completely exhausted, but not late.

 She even had enough time to lean against a wall and check on her kwami. “Marinette…” Tikki moaned. “I’m so _tired_. Why did you stay out so late?”

 “Tikki, I didn’t even use my lucky charm! What’s... _yawn_... wrong?”

 “I stayed transformed for _nine hours,_ Marinette,” Tikki moaned. “It’s exhausting! You try doing that next time. Do you have something for me to eat, please?”

 “I didn’t even think about that,” Marinette mumbled, handing a cookie to Tikki, who voraciously dug in. “Sorry. It won’t happen again.” She didn’t have time to apologize again as Marinette saw Alya approaching. 

 Alya was all smiles as she reached Marinette, but her smile quickly dropped. “Yikes, Marinette, you look like shit!”

 “Oh, wow, thanks, Alya,” Marinette scoffed. She rubbed her eyes. “I didn’t sleep last night.”

 “At _all_? Why not? Are you okay?” concerned, Alya gripped her friend’s arm.

 “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just…” how much of the truth could she share? As always, Marinette decided to lean on _as much as possible_. “I was talking to Adrien all night. He came over for dinner,” she yawned again, “and after he went home we talked on the phone until sunrise.”

 Alya’s expression changed from concern to absolute delight. “Then you’re together!”

 “What?!” Marinette asked. Was she so tired she was imagining things? “What did you say?”

 “Oh, please, Mari. He pulls you aside to talk to you in the library, eats dinner at your house, you spend _all night_ on the phone...I saw the way you two were interacting during the superstition project, which, by the way, thank _god_ I’m done with Chloé now. You finally admitted it, right? You’re together!”

 “We are not together,” Marinette snapped. She recognized the surprise on Alya’s face. “Sorry...sorry I snapped at you. I’m tired. But we’re not together.”

 “Yet?” Alya said hopefully.

 Marinette bit the inside of her cheek. Since he loved Ladybug, it was very possible. More possible than ever before. Not likely, but possible. The scariest, most real potential relationship she’d ever thought of, but possible. “Maybe,” Marinette finally agreed.

 Alya squealed and hugged her friend. “So tell me everything. Well, I guess not _everything_ , I don’t have eight hours. But- oh, hold on. Hey, guys!” Alya waved. As she called out, Nino and Adrien turned to look at them. Adrien had heavy bags under his eyes but he looked so damn pleased with himself, he didn’t even really register as tired. Just like a cute, sleepy kid on Christmas morning. _Very unfair_ , Marinette thought.

 Nino reached them first. He grabbed one of Alya’s hands and politely pecked her on the lips. “Hi, babe. Hi, Mari-! Woah, you look tired, Marinette.”

 “I’ve heard,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes. 

 “So does this guy,” Alya said, lightly punching Adrien in the arm. “You kept my girl up all night! Way to go, champ!”

 Adrien seemed slow to register. He looked from Alya to Marinette, then back again, then back to Marinette one last time. “Wait, Marinette, you told her?!”

 Nino froze. He slowly turned to Adrien, his eyes growing wider every second. “You said you were playing video games all night! You were with _Marinette_? Staying _up all night_? Dude!”

 Marinette sighed. “Nino, not like _that_. We were talking on the phone after dinner.” She looked over at Adrien. He seemed to understand immediately that this was their new plan. Marinette realized that they had both leaned into their well-practiced connection as superhero partners. She smiled to herself. This partnership would be mutually beneficial for sure. 

 Adrien shrugged with a smile. “She’s right. Sorry, Nino.”

 “Man, why didn’t you tell me? So did you...are you…”

 Alya jumped in, as Nino looked between the two tired friends. “They’re not, Nino.”

 Nino groaned. “Are you _kidding me_?”

 “I know, hun, I know.” She reassuringly patted her boyfriend’s back.

 Adrien looked from Nino to Marinette. He mouthed, ‘ _not what?_ ’ and Marinette started to blush slightly. If she told Adrien what they were talking about, it might scare away her only chance. She didn’t know if he was even open to that, or if was a good idea for the two heroes ...Marinette was good at being Ladybug. Being romantic and handling relationship discussions with so much at stake and so much uncertain, not so much. It was why she had avoided the topic at every chance last night. So instead, she shrugged. Then she said, “Let’s get to homeroom.”

 Considering Marinette felt like she was sleepwalking the entire time, the morning at school went very well. Adrien had been incredibly friendly all day, and seeing him as Chat Noir and Adrien helped her connect with him without even saying words sometimes. They walked in the halls together, made eye-contact and rolled eyes whenever they heard Ladybug/Chat Noir rumors, and caught each other dozing off. Most teachers seemed to take pity on Marinette and not call on her to answer too many questions. Alya even covered for her during history as she slept on the desk. Not that she had fallen asleep intentionally, of course...but her friend’s protection was still appreciated. 

 As the students returned from lunch and headed towards lockers, Marinette thanked her for it. “Oh, it was nothing,” Alya said with a smile. “I just hope you’d do the same for me if I stay up all night frac-fracking[1] Nino.”

 “Alya, I told you, we were just talking. We weren’t even in the same room!”

 Alya laughed. “See, I know you’re tired, because you’re not commenting on me saying I would frac-frac Nino all night.” She smiled softly. “I know you were just talking. But you know I’m your wingwoman. And a good wingwoman is there the morning after, too.” She adjusted Marinette’s jacket. “It’s been almost two weeks since Luka. At this point, no one would think twice about it when you start dating.”

 “Adrien might,” Marinette sighed.

 “Girl, what? Are you still doubting he likes you?”

 “Of course I am,” Marinette said. She grabbed her books for the afternoon. “Adrien is so... _incredible_. Last night was amazing. I loved being up with him! He’s so easy to talk to now. We have a lot in common and get along really well. Getting to know him more, I just love him even more than I used to.” She smiled weakly. “But that is a very high bar for him to reach. How could he possibly like me as much as I like him, how could he like _all_ of me that much? I mean- I don’t want to stay up that late again any time soon, but if it’s for another night like last night, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

 “Awww,” Alya cooed. She shut their lockers and sighed wistfully at Marinette. “Mari, you need to hear this from him, not me. But I don’t think you’re sailing the good ship alone. Boys don’t stay up and talk for nine hours with a girl they _don’t_ like in the romantic way.”

 “We had a lot to talk about,” Marinette countered.

 “Then why not say ‘yo girl, it’s late, let’s finish later’? No. That boy wanted to be with you.”

 Marinette thought about what Chat had said earlier that morning. How he had always wanted to stay up late talking with her, and how it was ‘even better than I ever imagined clawsible.’ Even better than he ever imagined. She smiled, remembering his words and his pun. “Maybe you’re right.” Maybe she was. And that terrified Marinette.

 She’d waited years for Adrien to want to be with her. She’d spent months agonizing over Chat, and Adrien, and Luka, and love. Now, at the top of the mountain she’d climbed, Marinette was supposed to jump? How could she be sure it would be okay? Safe? How could she be sure it would work at all?

 “So are you going to talk to him about it this afternoon? You have a bunch of classes together.”

 And deal with the mess inside her head, on no hours of sleep? “Probably not.”

 “ _Marinette_ , you’re killing me!”

 “Alya, I’m so tired,” she whined. “If I didn’t fall asleep on him, I’d probably blurt out way more than I should. I called him a puppy dog today in Health. To his face! He probably _hated_ it! Adrien doesn’t even like dogs!”

 “Oh, my sweet, tired, Marinette,” Alya laughed.

 Marinette whined, nuzzling her head into the crook of Alya’s neck and getting a noseful of her shampoo. “I’m your scared Marinette, too.”

 Silently, Alya wrapped an arm tighter around her best friend and squeezed. “I know, girl, I know. But you’re also my superhero, and my brave Marinette.”

 “I’m too tired to be-” her voice cut off in a yawn. “-brave,” Marinette mumbled.

 Alya laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that.”

 \---

 

The day finished without much excitement. Marinette snuck Tikki a few more cookies and let her kwami sleep in her purse. By the time school let out, Tikki was energized and completely forgiving of her long night of work. She wondered if Plagg was so quick to forgive with Adrien.

 Heading straight home and imagining her bed all the while, Marinette almost didn’t hear Adrien running to catch up behind her. “Hey, Marinette! Wait up!”

 She spun around. “Oh, hey, Adrien. I didn’t hear you.”

 “Where are you heading?”

 “Home. To nap.” She smiled dreamily. “I am _so excited_ to nap, Ch-...chhhh...shadrien.” Wow, she needed sleep _now_ , before she spilt the beans to all of Paris.

 “Oh, me too,” Adrien said. He laughed. “I’m going to try and convince Nathalie to let me off of Chinese tutoring just for today. And pray that nothing _else_ crashes my plans. So, uh...before you go home, I had a question.”

 She blinked her eyes rapidly. Adrien was getting darker and darker. Why was he getting darker? The whole street was getting darker. Marinette finally realized it was just her eyelids, closing on their own. But everything looked so much _nicer_ , dark like that. “Yeah? What’s up?”

 “Well, you know how...how Lemonade and Cookies go really well together, right?”

 “Like the food?”

 “No, Marinette, like the…” he pouted, then gestured between the two of them.

  _Of course_! “Oh, oops! Yes! Yes, that kind of Lemonade. What about them?”

 “You know I’ve always really liked my Cookie. And you-”

 Oh, god, was he trying to talk about this now? The feelings, and the mountain, and jumping and catching and falling and...parachutes? Were there parachutes in her analogy? She didn’t remember. All she knew was that Marinette was ready to curl up on the sidewalk and sleep and he wanted her to talk about how he liked Ladybug _but sorry, I guess I don’t anymore, now that I know she’s you_. Or even more terrifying, talk about how he liked her even more now and had... _expectations._  And there was Paris to consider, too.“Um, Adrien,” Marinette spoke up, cutting him off. “I’m really sorry, but I really need to nap before we talk more about any Lemonade stuff.”

 Adrien sighed. He scratched his arm. “I know, but you didn’t want to talk about this last night, and I need to know-”

 “I’m going to call you a puppy again if we talk about this now,” Marinette threatened. She even wagged a finger at him as if it was a reputable threat.

 Adrien laughed, but it was weak. “Okay, okay. I get it. We’re both tired.” He looked more sad than sleepy as he said it. “You don’t want to talk about it...that’s okay.” He looked down. When Adrien looked back up, it was with a bit of a forced smile. “Hey, it was nice to see you in school today. Knowing, I mean. I feel like we, um…” he seemed to be searching for a word. So Marinette jumped in.

 “Connected?”

 Adrien smiled for real now. “Exactly!”

 Marinette smiled back. She adjusted her posture on the sidewalk so she didn’t fall over in exhaustion. “Me, too. I think this is going to help us a lot. As friends and as partners. I understand you a lot better after our talk. Hey, how is Plagg, by the way?”

 “Oh, he’s grumpy,” Adrien said. “Grumpier than usual. I had my lunch in a fromagerie to try and make it up to him. Now he’s just grumpy and smelly.”

 Marinette laughed. She gestured to herself, unshowered, with no sleep at all. “That sounds like me, too. So I’m going to go take that nap now.”

 Adrien laughed lightly. “Okay, Mari. Talk to you soon.”

 She waved a finger at him again. “You sleep too, Monsieur. Don’t...not sleep. Go sleep.”

 He nodded with a sweet smile. Oh, he had such a beautiful smile.

 Marinette finally turned and stumbled her way home, nearly getting knocked off her feet by a bicycle. Most of the walk it felt like Tikki was leading her, pulling her jacket gently to the middle of the sidewalk. She greeted her parents, told them she was going to nap, and stumbled up the stairs.

 Marinette hit her bed face-first and didn’t wake up until dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1frac-frac[king]: Frac-frac is a slang, casual term for sex. Very similar to how in English you might say that they were 'boinking' all night.


	3. Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this chapter...but only the second half...which is Such an Odd Thing to Say, but no matter how much I rewrote the first half, it's never quite up to the snuff of the second.
> 
> I think it's because I prefer fluff to angst, honestly. You get a bit of both today!

**** Adrien laid awake in his bed. It wasn’t the first time in his bed that day- he’d come home from school and napped until his bodyguard insisted he wake up to eat dinner. He had done some make-up work for Chinese tutoring and then tried to go to sleep, but thoughts of Marinette were keeping him awake. Adrien groaned, wishing his brain would turn off and let him catch up on some of those missing sleeping hours.

 Plagg flew over at the sound of frustration. “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?”

 “Yes,” Adrien grumbled.

 “Are we nocturnal now? Because I’ve done that- it’s really fun. Better than wasting your night vision during the daytime.”

 “I don’t want to be nocturnal, Plagg. I _want_ to sleep.”

 “Then why don’t you?”

 “I keep...thinking.”

 “There’s nothing to think about at 11 pm,” Plagg told Adrien. 

 “Are you kidding? There’s everything to think about.” Adrien rolled on his bed, gesticulating to the ceiling. “Marinette is Ladybug. Marinette is the girl I’ve been in love with for years! Ladybug is Marinette. Ladybug is my best friend... _and_ my best friend! That means all those times...we were right there together.”

 “Yeah. We covered that in great detail 24 hours ago,” Plagg deadpanned. “This isn’t worth staying up for, Adrien. You _already_ stayed up talking about this.”

 “Not the fact that I’m in love with my best friend,” Adrien countered. “She wouldn’t talk to me about it.”

 “Can you blame her? Who would want to talk about that?”

 Adrien ignored Plagg and kept talking. “I thought I was starting to get a chance with Marinette, before we knew the truth about each other. We were really getting close, you know? Romantic study dates, cuddling on her balcony….but Marinette has never liked Chat. Not _really_. Not the way I want her to. And especially not as Ladybug. She’s never flirted back with me and she always told me she’s liked someone else. Now,” Adrien sighed, “I know Marinette dumped Luka. But even if Marinette _had_ liked me as Adrien at one point...there’s no way I could convince her to like Chat Noir.”

 “Well, you sure won’t convince her by whining about it on your bed at 11 pm. If you’re not going to go to bed, can you at least do something more useful with your time?”

 Adrien finally turned to face Plagg. “More useful than sorting out my feelings?”

 “Absolutely! If you insist on being nocturnal, you can stay up and play Extreme Racer 3 with me. I can get the controllers!”

Adrien rolled over in his bed. He opened his eyes and saw his kwami, grinning, just inches from Adrien’s own face. “You know what? That might actually get my mind off of her. Let’s give it a try.”

 “Ouais![1]” Plagg cheered. “There may be hope for you yet, Adrien!” He flew over to the game system and was turning things on before Adrien even reached the couch. “Why are you so worried about the love of your life right now anyway? Haven’t you been crushing on Ladybug since I met you? You’re not usually _this_ upset about it- at least not without pulling out your dolls.”

 Adrien ignored the comment about his dolls. Very expensive dolls, which sat hidden away at the moment. “I’m worried about her…even without my romantic feelings, I don’t think she’s comfortable with everything. And that would be bad for our partnership.”

 “She seemed pretty comfortable last night, for _nine hours_ ,” Plagg hissed. “We both need our beautyrest, monsieur.” Plagg carried a controller to Adrien, then carried his own and settled deep into the couch. He wrapped his tail around the joy stick and positioned himself in front of the buttons. “Okay, which track are we playing tonight?”

 Adrien mindlessly picked a level and picked his car but continued to air his grievances. “I mean, comfortable with _me_. With my feelings. She knows that Chat Noir loves her. And she probably knows by now that I was trying to attract her as Adrien, too. Does she feel betrayed by that?” They picked their level and the game started to count down until when the cars could race. “Maybe she’s still not comfortable with me as Adrien and I was misreading everything.” The game blasted the green light and Adrien zoomed forward, still talking. “Maybe she doesn’t like me like that, _or_ like Chat Noir like that, so now she feels awkward, knowing how I feel!” 

 Plagg pulled his joystick and pounded his buttons, deftly moving around the controller like an enormous keyboard that he had to lean over. “Ladybug is perfectly comfortable with you, don’t worry about that!” Plagg told Adrien.

 “She works well with me, I agree,” Adrien sighed. He rounded a corner and smashed his car against a competitor. “Or at least she was. But I don’t want to be just comfortable. I want to be _with_ her, Plagg. Romantically!”

 “Ugh, blech. Why?”

 “Because I love her. I love all of her! I want to date Ladybug as Chat, but I want to date Marinette as me, too. And I want everyone to know it! I just want to be with her as much as I can, support her, hug her, kiss her…”

 “I don’t see the appeal. She’s cute, for a human, but all of that stuff is nauseating.”

 “Haven’t you ever been in love, Plagg?”

 “Kwamis experience love differently than mating animals,” Plagg told him. “ _Thankfully_. We have partnerships and friendships and soulmates and love for each other. But none of that horrid mushy-gushy Saint Valentine stuff. Not for me, at least.” He sighed. “And yet, I can never escape it. Not even when we’re playing _Extreme Racer!_ ”

 “Soulmates! You have a soulmate?”

 “Of course I do,” Plagg said casually. “HAH! Look at that explosion! You are _dead_ , Adrien. Start over!” 

 Adrien hadn’t been looking when he ran into a semi, distracted by the thought that his sourpuss of a kwami could have a soulmate. “If you have a soulmate, then you must understand what I feel like. I feel like I’m dying without her.” 

 The game flashed “REESSAYER?[2]” at Adrien until Plagg flew over and hit ‘okay’, then returned to his own controller, ready to restart. “You just saw her a few hours ago, drama queen. Get ready, I’m going to beat you again!”

“I don’t mean literally next to her. I mean being in her life.”

 “You _are_ in her life. You’re her partner! Ladybug and Chat Noir are yin and yang, the most powerful of the miraculous. Your power doesn’t work without hers to balance, yadda-yadda-yadda. You’re not getting away from her.”

 “But I want to be with her _romantically_ , Plagg. I said that already. I don’t just want to save Paris with her- I want to be her partner in everything else.” Adrien drove off a bridge this time, but as it was his first offense, the game let him start again at the top of the bridge. Plagg was in first for once.

 “Do you see that, Adrien?! I’m winning!” Plagg whooped in excitement as he rounded another corner. On the other screen, Adrien fell off the same bridge for the second time. “Oh, for the love of- _Adrien!_ Focus on the game!”

 “How can I focus on the game when I feel like a soul missing its heart?”

 “What is that supposed to mean?” Plagg snarled. He started the second lap and kept driving. “You’re not missing anything. Ladybug likes you. She’s stuck with you, anyway. And Tikki told me that she adores you- I know, because she wouldn’t let me trash talk you for a second without saying ‘but Marinette says…’.” He dropped the falsetto fake-Tikki voice and growled, “What’s the big deal?”

 “You don’t know for sure if Marinette likes me like that, though.” Adrien sighed dramatically. And his car fell off the bridge again, ending the game and offering to restart.

 “Are you kidding me?!” Plagg yelped. “I was half a lap from winning!”

 “That’s how life is sometimes, Plagg,” Adrien moaned. “We’re so close to winning and then...she finds out who you are and loses all interest. We were _cuddling_ , in and out of costume, the days before yesterday. And now, look at us.”

 “I am looking at you,” Plagg said. “And I see a Chat Noir who needs to snap out of this. I wanted to play video games, not listen to your sad, oblivious rantings. She likes you! Okay? She is crazy about you. Posters-on-her-wall, telling Tikki everything about you, as bad as you are with Ladybug, _crazy_ about you. Can we play the game now?”

 Adrien looked over at his kwami in surprise. Plagg was absolutely steaming. Was he telling the truth? “Are you...sure?”

 “I’m sure, buddy. It was the first thing Tikki told me yesterday afternoon while you two were giggling about your costumes. And by the way, you could learn from Marinette. She got good cheese for me!” Adrien wasn’t so sure. He looked back at the screen, flashing ‘reessayer’ again. Plagg spoke again. “Look, Adrien. I care about you. You know how you were talking about kwamis and love? Well, I love you. I don’t want to see you hurting. And this is _really_ easy to fix so you’re not hurting. Just talk to her!” 

 He hoped Plagg was right. He wished he was. But Marinette was so incredible and so loving...no one loved Adrien the way she loved everyone in her life. He didn’t have that and probably never would. It just was too good to be true for an unlucky cat like himself. “I can’t just talk to her about this…”

 “What were you doing all of last night?!”

 “Marinette keeps changing the subject when I bring up feelings. She doesn’t want...maybe she changed her mind after she told Tikki she liked me.” He shook his head. “If she doesn’t want to talk about it, then we can’t talk about it, and nothing will ever change.”

 “And then what? You’ll sit at home listening to sad music and avoiding your soulmate?”

 “I guess,” Adrien mumbled. He finally hit ‘okay’ to restart, staring at the game.

 “Nope,” Plagg said. The game flashed the green light, but Plagg’s car didn’t move. “Nope, we’re not dealing with that. I’m not putting up with this teenage angst any longer. We need to talk to her, _now_.”

 “Plagg, drive. You’re going to lose.”

 “Not if neither of us are playing,” Plagg responded. Adrien’s eyes moved from the screen down to Plagg, who was flying directly at him. 

 “Woah, what are you-”

 “Say ‘Transform me!’, Adrien!”

 “What? No! I don’t want to be Chat Noir right now!”

 “Do it, Adrien!”

 “Or what?”

 “Say ‘Transform me!’”

 Adrien was caught off guard and honestly, a little curious. Did Plagg just want to stop hearing him talk? “Transform me!” Plagg was grinning as he disappeared into a black swoosh and wrapped Adrien in light. The transformation magic felt the same as normal, leaving Chat Noir alone in his bedroom, standing unsure of what Plagg was looking for. “Okay, so...now what?”

 Then Adrien felt his leg move. As if someone else was holding it, his other leg marched forward to match. “Ummm…” Adrien said. His tail flicked experimentally as Adrien bent down to look at his shoes. But then his spine straightened and he stood straight up again. “What the…”

 Chat Noir suddenly crouched and jumped straight in the air. His arms wiggled and fingers all twitched, all without Adrien controlling anything. “Plagg! Plagg, are you doing this? What are you doing?”

 At least he could control his mouth. Maybe because that part wasn’t covered in suit. His body twisted as if getting ready to run a marathon. Then, it walked over to the window and opened it wide. _Holy shit, is he going to make me jump?_ “Plagg, this isn’t funny. What are you doing?”

 Instead of answering, Adrien’s body threw itself out the window. Plagg, who Adrien assumed was driving, grabbed the baton and twirled it as he helicoptered down to the street. Adrien screamed the entire time, horrified and uncomfortable that someone else could control his body. Plagg ran on all fours, similar to Chat Noir’s typical gait but slightly more animalistic, straight towards Marinette’s home. While Chat Noir would typically leap roof to roof, Plagg appeared to prefer running on the ground and scaling her wall.

 “Plagg, stop!” Adrien shouted. Maybe thinking it would be better than shouting it. _Plagg, stop!_

 They climbed to the top balcony and Chat Noir raced over to the skylight that looked into Marinette’s room. He hit it with the side of his fist, nowhere near the soft knock Adrien would have preferred.

 Adrien was blushing furiously at this point. Marinette was going to think he was insane! She was right below and with his night vision, he could see her just stirring awake. When Marinette’s eyes registered the Chat Noir in her skylight, she yelped and pulled the covers up to her chin.

 “Marinette, help!” Adrien yelled. 

 That got her attention. Marinette stood up on her bed, Tikki flew to turn on a light, and Marinette unlatched the window. Chat Noir tumbled into the bedroom and onto her soft bed. The moment he hit the bed, Plagg dropped Adrien’s transformation and collapsed next to him. Plagg was gasping for air and shuddering.

 Adrien wanted to explain, but he was too scared for his kwami’s sudden change. “Plagg? Plagg!” Adrien cupped Plagg in his hands, feeling him vibrate with shudders and gasp.

 Tikki flew to Adrien’s shoulder, asking the question at the same time as Marinette. “What happened?”

 “We were talking, he got mad at me, asked me to transform, and then...I don’t even know how it happened, but I think he was controlling my suit?”

 Marinette stepped backwards in confusion. “He was controlling your suit?”

 Tikki flew closer in anger. “He was controlling your _suit_?!”

 “Yeah...is that a thing that you can do? Is he okay? Is he going to be okay? Is he going to be healthy?”

 Tikki laughed low and angrily. “Ooh, hoo, hoo. He’s going to be healthy, but when I’m through with him, he is _not_ going to be okay.” She flew right over to Plagg and lifted him up by the shoulders. “Plagg!” she shouted.

 Plagg’s eyes opened into slits, then shut tightly. “I’m t-t-t-t-too sick, Tikki. Don’t ...don’t-t-t-t-t yell at me.”

 “You’re not sick, you big idiot! You’re just worn out! That is for _emergencies only_! Bringing Adrien here is not an emergency! What were you thinking?!” She turned to look back at Marinette and her voice softened immediately. “Would you please get him some water and some brie cheese?”

 “Not...b-b-b-brie. I want c-c-c-c-c-camembert!”

 “You don’t deserve camembert!” Tikki yelled. For being so furious at him, she was certainly holding Plagg tightly to her tiny body, stroking his ears. “Besides, brie is softer on the system.”

 “So…” Marinette said, “...brie?”

 “Yes, please,” Tikki said sweetly. She covered Plagg’s mouth as he tried to complain.

 Marinette rushed out of the room and down the stairs, leaving Adrien with the two kwamis in his hand. He listened as Tikki berated her friend.

 “You big idiot! That’s just for emergencies! What if Paris needs Chat Noir tonight, huh? Did you think of that?”

 “He was use...less….anyway. D-d-d-d-d-depressed.”

 “A depressed Chat Noir is better than none if Le Papillon shows up, Plagg!” Tikki lectured. “You know what suit possession does to us. How long it wipes us out. And now how is Adrien going to trust you, hmm? Do you realize how scary that must have been for him?”

 Marinette reappeared, an entire wheel of brie in her hand and a shallow bowl full of water. She laid them both on her desk. “Here, Adrien. Bring them both here. Tikki, do you need anything else? Should I call Master Fu?”

 Adrien was delivering the two kwamis to the table when Plagg yipped, still shuddering. “No, d-d-d-d-don’t call Master Fu!”

 Tikki put her tiny hands on her hips, glaring at Plagg. “She absolutely _should_ call Master Fu! What you did was reckless and stupid and selfish.” Tikki turned to look up at Marinette, eyes soft again. “But no, Marinette. I should be able to take care of him for now. If it gets worse or he acts out again, we can call the Guardian.”

 “What’s wrong with him, Tikki?” Adrien asked.

 Tikki led Plagg to the water first, then to the brie. “Suit possession is a last-resort security protocol for kwamis. We always have slight consciousness inside your suits, but most of our energy is devoted to holding the transformation, providing you with your magic abilities of creation and destruction, and giving you superhuman abilities. However, if a miraculous holder becomes incapacitated during a battle and is alone without their partner or allies, then we need to get them away from the battle before they are revealed or before they are killed. So we can use the rest of our energy to possess the suit and control its motions. But it absolutely is not meant to be abused! Neither of us has had to use suit possession in two hundred years!”

 Now that Plagg had eaten a bit of cheese, he seemed slightly more lucid. He was still laying down, unable to stand, but could snark again. “You’re just a goody-t-t-two shoes, Tikki.”

 Marinette knelt down in front of their kwamis. Mimicking her behavior, Adrien knelt as well. “Why did you bring him here, Plagg?”

 Plagg took another bite- bigger this time. “Because Chat-t-t-t-t Noir is an _idiot_.”

 “Hey!” Adrien whined.

 “You are! You’re a-a-a-a lovesick... idiot!”

 “Lovesick?” Marinette asked, turning to Adrien.

 Adrien blushed so deep, he felt like his face was on fire. He was this deep in. Even though every instinct told him to run, to jump out of the window, to escape those beautiful, shining blue eyes and avoid the consequences of real feelings, there was no way Plagg would let him leave without the truth. “I was telling Plagg that I’m not sure...I’m not sure you feel the same way about me that I feel about you.”

 “You weren’t-t-t- _telling_ me. You were _whining_ ,” Plagg corrected. He drank more water, shuddering into the bowl.

 Tikki looked up at Adrien. “Oh, Adrien. You were worried Marinette didn’t have romantic feelings for you?” She giggled and looked at Marinette. Adrien looked, too- Marinette’s eyes were round and huge, her face red from a blush. Oh, god. Red like that couldn’t be good. Then Tikki rounded on Plagg again. “That is _not an emergency_ , Plagg! You need to be patient. They’re Ladybug and Chat Noir! They would have figured it out!”

 “I’m not as p-p-patient as you,” Plagg admitted. He weakly smirked at Tikki. “I’m n-not as _old_ as you.”

 Adrien tried to avoid the eyes of Marinette. He wanted to look at them so much, but surely, she was seeing him completely differently now. And the topic wasn’t comfortable to begin with… so he spoke to Tikki instead. “How much younger is Plagg than you, Tikki?”

 “Hard to say,” Tikki answered. “We were both born before the kwami of Time came into being. Or, I guess I mean the _concept_ of time. Humans measure time in years, which you measure by spinning the earth around the sun. But your sun wouldn’t even exist without Plagg and I working together. And of course that was long before we had tangible forms anyway, which are, oh...about ten thousand years old? Significantly younger than our existences.” She was so casual in her descriptions that Adrien had to blink. “But Plagg is certainly old enough to be patient to let you and Marinette figure out your emotions together!” She turned back to Plagg, helping him move back to the brie. “As romantic as it is to try pushing them together, that was a _very bad idea_.”

 “They do need t-t-to talk, though,” Plagg grumbled. “I’m _right_.”

 Tikki sighed dramatically. She patted Plagg’s shoulder and turned around to face Adrien and Marinette. Adrien swallowed hard when Tikki turned to face him; neither kwami was letting this die. “As much as it hurts to say it, Plagg _is_ right. Adrien, if your heart is distracting you from being the best Chat Noir and the best person you can be, you need to settle that. Talk to Marinette. And Marinette, I know you’re struggling, too.” When Tikki turned her attention to Marinette, Adrien did as well. She had obviously been looking at him, now facing Tikki. Adrien could actually see her face darkening different shades of pink and red as Tikki lectured her charge. “I’ve already told you that knowing one another’s secret identity doesn’t have to be a bad thing- that as long as you trust each other in and out of your roles as superheroes, it can actually strengthen your relationship. But you have to be honest with one another if you’re going to have any kind of trust.”

 Tikki paused, evidently giving the teenagers their opportunity. So Adrien took a deep breath and...continued to try to avoid the topic. He gestured with his thumb in Tikki’s direction. “Your kwami is very wise.”

 “Y-Yes, she is,” Marinette agreed, her voice shaking. She bit her lip uncomfortably, eyes looking down at the carpet before flicking up briefly to meet Adrien’s. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t want to talk about feelings. I wasn’t trying to make you upset. I was just...scared.”

 Adrien turned his entire body towards Marinette. “Scared? What were you scared of?”

 “Adriennnn…” Marinette started, drawing his name out for time. “I...ugh.” She looked back at Tikki, begging for help. That was when Adrien noticed Marinette’s hands were shaking. Tikki just waved her on encouragingly. “I was scared of getting hurt, I guess,” Marinette finished.

 “Marinette, I would never hurt you,” Adrien promised. And then, he decided to be the daring one for once. “Would it help if I talked about my feelings first?”

 “Oh yes, that would help so much.”

 Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat. He could do this. He was Chat Noir! And Chat Noir told Ladybug this all the time! He just had to channel that. Adrien closed his eyes, imagining the girl before him in her familiar red. Imagining himself in the security blanket of black leather. “I love you, My Lady,” Adrien exhaled. There! That wasn’t so hard! Adrien opened his eyes, stumbling to continue, “I’ve loved you as Ladybug for as long as I’ve known you.” He tried to look into her familiar blue eyes for strength, but Marinette was looking down at her hands. She didn’t look thrilled. Adrien swallowed...now was the time to be truly brave, when it looked like it wouldn’t go his way. “And before I knew you were Ladybug, I realized that I was falling for you as Marinette, too.”

 That got her attention. Marinette’s head poked up and her eyes started to sparkle. Sitting up a little taller, Adrien continued. “The more I got to know you, the more I felt like myself. Like, well, like Chat Noir. You know how I said that I love being Chat Noir because he is who I would really want to be? Well, you make me feel like that. Comfortable. _Me_. And the more I acted like that, the more you started to come out of your shell, too. I realized how _lucky_ I was to know you.”

 “Are you making puns in your confession?” Marinette asked, sniffling a little. She was smiling, but trying to keep it small. Adrien could tell- he was doing the same thing now.

 He laughed softly. “Of course I’m making puns. That’s how you know it’s me. I had just barely admitted to myself that I liked two girls- Marinette _and_ Ladybug, when a few days later I realized I really just loved _one_ girl. You.”

 Marinette’s eyes were now swimming with tears. She was leaning in to Adrien’s words with rapt attention.

 “And I...uh...I want to be your partner for more than just saving Paris. I want to be with you, Marinette. All the time. As Chat Noir and as Adrien, but mainly as your boyfriend.”

 “Adrien, I’ve wanted to hear you say that for _years_.”

 While his heart flipped in his chest, Adrien couldn’t help but quip, “That I wanted to be Chat Noir with you?”

 Marinette laughed. “No, you silly kitty. Don’t ruin this! I really, really like you, too, Adrien. I’ve been chasing after you for a very long time. You’re so sweet, and kind, and funny. You’re such a good friend and always so in tune with your feelings...you’re an incredible guy, Adrien. Finding out that you were Chat Noir too made everything-”

 “Worse?”

 “ _Better_ ,” Marinette corrected. “I trust Chat Noir more than I trust anyone in the world. Our partnership together is one of the most important parts of my entire life. It always broke my heart to turn him down.”

 “Right. For Luka.”

 “Usually for you!” Marinette laughed, poking Adrien’s shoulder. She wiped a tear out of her eyes. “I was turning you down because I had a crush on _you_!”

 Adrien laughed back, grabbing Marinette’s hand before she could pull it away. God, her skin was so soft, her hand so small. He wanted to hold it for the rest of his life. And she had a crush on him, too! “Well, that’s-”

 Plagg interrupted, “Disgusting.”

 Adrien looked over at the two kwamis he had forgotten about. Plagg was shuddering less violently but now has a disgusted look on his face unrelated to the recovery. Tikki was next to him with eyes the size of Euro coins and hands clasped in delight. “Actually, I was going to say,” he looked back at Marinette, “poetic.” She smiled warmly at him. Adrien swallowed and softly asked to confirm, “So, you like me, too?”

 “I really, _really_ do, Adrien,” Marinette cooed.

 He grinned wide, grabbing her other free hand. “Then will you be my girlfriend?!”

 “I want to!” Marinette answered. She was smiling, even as she said the worst word Adrien had ever heard- “but”.

 “But?” His shoulders fell. “But what?”

 “I’m scared.”

 “What are you scared of?” Adrien asked, softly.

 The noise of Paris filtered through the windows. The old house creaked. And Marinette finally responded, “Us. What we could be if this works, what will happen if it...doesn’t. Adrien, I’ve liked you for so long, I don’t even know what it’s like to know you and _not_ like you. And Chat Noir and Ladybug are...we’re partners. We’re two faces of the same coin, Chaton. This could be amazing, but it could also be devastating.”

 “But you admit it could be amazing,” Adrien emphasized, leaning in. Her smile flickered back into place, a soft giggle on those beautiful lips. Wow, her _lips_ … “Why be scared of amazing?” Marinette personified amazing every moment of her life.

 “I...I want to make sure it would work, first. What if it isn’t amazing? What if we’re great partners and friends, but we don’t mesh as a couple? I don’t want to hurt what we have as Ladybug and Chat Noir. Paris is too important to risk that.” Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper, admitting to her fingernails, “I’m scared.”

 “Okay, then…” Adrien was determined not to give up. “Let’s just start with a date. We can do that, right? And if it doesn’t work, then at least we tried. And you’ll still be my cookie, I’ll still be your lemonade. Still friends, still partners. Just one date, without the pressure of _amazing_ or _devastating_. Just a trial.”

 Marinette’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Adrien, that’s a _wonderful_ idea! Yes! A date! Let’s go this Saturday!”

 “Okay!”

 “But don’t tell Alya or Nino.”

 Shuddering, Adrien agreed, “Oh, no. That’s too much pressure. The point is to test it _without_ risking everything.”

 “Exactly,” Marinette said, beaming. “We’re just testing it.”

 Plagg groaned from his seat. He had eaten half the wheel of cheese by now and was leaning against the other half. “Why bother testing it? We all know it’ll work. You two are so-”

 Tikki squeaked and covered his mouth. “ _Young_ ,” she said for him. “I think testing your feelings is a _wonderful_ idea. Then,” she turned to Plagg with angry eyes, but kept speaking to the teenagers. “They can _figure it out themselves_.”

 “Okay, then!” Marinette said, excitedly. “If Tikki approves, then we’re good!”

 “Okay then!”

 “Okay!”

 “Okay!”

 Marinette giggled. “Saturday!”

 Adrien beamed back. He was determined to do this right. “Saturday.”

 “Um...you should probably go back home now. Get to bed.” She gestured to Adrien’s pajamas. He blushed.

 “You’re right. Sorry to _pounce_ on you like this. You’re just so _paw_ sitively _charm_ ing that I couldn’t help myself.”

 Tikki cleared her tiny throat. “Before you say your goodbyes...Marinette, I think you and I should help them get home. It’s much too late for Adrien to walk, and Plagg still needs to rest and recover.”

 “Oh! Okay!” Marinette stepped back. So did Adrien. He watched Marinette, who was blushing at the idea of transforming in front of him. “Tikki, Transform me!”

 Adrien gasped as he watched the transformation from the outside. The pink light was almost blinding and it was difficult to see anything in particular, but he knew it was magic. And when Ladybug stood before him, he knew she was still the Marinette whose hand he had held just before. 

 “Tikki is really good at that,” Plagg said with admiration. “I love watching her work. Now, pick me up, Chariot!” Adrien rolled his eyes and picked up Plagg and his remaining soft cheese, placing them both in his pajama pocket. “Remember I’m the reason you have your stupid date, loverboy. Don’t say I’m not a romantic. But don’t say I am one, either. Romance is still gross.”

 Ladybug smiled wide at Adrien, tiny giggles escaping between the teeth of her grin. She seemed to still be caught up in the euphoria of having her crush like her back. Adrien knew, because he was absolutely caught up, too.

 “You ready to go, Adrien?”

 “Let’s fly.”

 She swooped him into her arms bridal-style and leapt out of the room and to the balcony in a single jump. Then, Ladybug held Adrien close as they swung through Paris down to the Agreste mansion. There wasn’t much better than knowing Marinette liked him back, but having Ladybug carry him home was certainly a perfect way to cement it. Looking up into her blue eyes, the lights of the streetlamps flashing her in and out of perfect view, it felt so much like a dream that Adrien was afraid he might wake up. Instead, they landed against his wall.

 Ladybug carried Adrien in through the open window, setting him gently on the floor. The music from Adrien and Plagg’s game was still playing. Adrien looked down just barely at Ladybug, who seemed to stand a little taller than Marinette did. But her smile was all Marinette’s as she asked, “So...Saturday?”.

 “Saturday, My Lady,” Adrien agreed. He hugged her tight to his body, feeling her rest her head on his shoulder and hug back. God, how Adrien wanted to kiss her instead. But he would regret it for the rest of their lives if his first kiss with his wife wasn’t during their romantic first date.

 And she was going to be his wife. There are some things Adrien just knew, and that was one of them. It always had been. He pulled away just enough to see her better and stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. He saw Ladybug’s eyelids flutter, beautifully framed in her mask, and felt a tiny sigh of warm air from her mouth. “I can’t believe this,” Adrien sighed himself. “I can’t believe this is really happening.” 

 Marinette leaned into his touch. She didn’t say a word. They stood in his room, Ladybug in Adrien’s arms and hearts beating against each other, and probably would have for much longer. 

Except Plagg very loudly cleared his throat from Adrien’s pajama pocket. “If you’re going to just stand here, can you at least drop me off by the game controller? This isn’t exactly thrilling.”

 Embarrassed, Adrien jumped back. His hand went from holding Ladybug to scratching the back of his neck, and Marinette was suddenly very interested in looking at Adrien’s couch. “I, uh, ha ha, I guess I’ll see you Saturday, Ladybug. Marinette! I’ll see you Saturday, Marinette.”

 Marinette’s eyes went back to Adrien’s and she bit her lip nervously. “Yeah. Yes, you will. Saturday!” She shouted back, maybe a bit too loud.

 “And tomorrow morning. I’ll see you at school, too.”

 “You sure will,” Ladybug said, grinning.  “How weird is this?!”

 “It’s a dream come true,” Adrien said. He watched as she backed up to the window. 

 “Take care of Plagg for me and Tikki,” she replied. “Make sure he recovers well. It may have been reckless, what he did, but...I’m glad it happened.”

 “Me too,” Adrien said. _Don’t go,_ he wanted to shout. _Stay here! Stay forever!_ But instead, he waved goodbye as Ladybug leapt out the window again.

 From his pocket, Plagg muttered, “I told you so. Again. Now about that video game?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1Ouais!: "Yay!" (Pronounced like "way")  
> 2Reessayer?: "Try again?" (essayer= to try. So technically, this is "To try again", but this is how the video game would show it...like [do you want] to try again.)


	4. Shared Secrets

The next morning at school, Marinette was in a much better mood. She had a skip in her step and Adrien on her mind.  _ Adrien is Chat Noir. Adrien loves me! Chat Noir knows who I am. Chat Noir loves me! We have a date!  _ And on top of her delightful mantra, she actually got a full night of sleep. 

So it wasn’t a surprise that Alya sidled right up to her at their lockers with a mischievous smirk. “Looks like  _ someone _ is in a good mood,” she said. “Did we talk to Adrien again last night?”

“I actually got some sleep; that’s why I’m so happy,” Marinette laughed. 

“Uh huh. But you talked to him, didn’t you?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face, however. “Alya, you know I went home and passed out until 8. Then I had dinner, then I went  _ back _ to bed. I didn’t even read for French Lit last night!”

“That’s because you’re five chapters ahead of the class, not because you’re a sleepy delinquent,” Alya said. She narrowed her eyes, looking at Marinette. Marinette was working desperately to stop herself from smiling and was failing pretty miserably. “You  _ did _ talk to him. Didn’t you?”

“Alright, fine,” Marinette caved. “Yes, a little. Not all night.” She was giggling through every word. 

“And……?!”

“And Adrien is a delightful gentleman. We had a wonderful conversation.”

“A ‘wonderful conversation?’” Alya repeated with a smile. 

Marinette grinned. She ducked her head and nodded. 

Alya squealed and hugged her tight. Marinette was so excited! It felt great to have someone else be as excited as she was, even if Alya couldn’t know why. Alya squeezed her again, then pulled back so her hands were on Marinette’s arms. “So then, more details! Are you together? Are you going out? Did he say he likes you? Did  _ you  _ say you like  _ him?” _

_ Almost, yes, yes, and yes! _ Marinette wanted to shout. She was bouncing on her toes, biting her lips as they betrayed a smile, and forced herself to shake her head ‘no’. “It was just...a wonderful conversation. I’m not even excited about that. I’m excited because...it’s Friday! And I’m excited for Mademoiselle Bustier’s class!”

“You’re excited for Mademoiselle’s class? That’s why you’re giggling?”

“Uh, yes. Isn’t Nino presenting today? And we find out our presentation grades! It’s exciting.”

“I don’t think it’s giggle-worthy, to be honest,” Alya replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I do.”

“So you can...see how well you and Adrien worked together?”

“What? I didn’t say anything about that! There’s nothing to test! I’m not-”

“Your project grade, Marinette. You’re excited to see how you worked together on your  _ project _ ?”

Marinette paused and looked back at Alya. So that wasn’t a question about the purposes of their date. “Oh...ha ha...yes, that’s why I’m excited for Mademoiselle’s class. And...to watch Nino and Mylène. They’ve got “black cats” for their presentation. I love black cats. That’s why I’m excited...for black cats! And, uh, I mean  _ les _ black cats, not  _ le _ Chat Noir. [1]Adrien isn’t...I’m definitely not excited about the call. Just for class!”

Alya’s eyebrows lowered and lips pursed as she stared close at Marinette. That look always made Marinette uncomfortable- like she was staring right through her. Alya let go of Marinette’s arms but kept her eyes on her friend. “Okay, so you won’t tell me what you guys said on the call. But at least tell me:  _ when  _ did he call?”

“After dinner,” Marinette said. She imagined Adrien in his pajamas again, that thin white sleep shirt over black and green sweatpants, his hair just slightly disheveled, admitting that he liked her, and she grinned again. But upon seeing Ayla’s inquisitive face, she forced herself to calm down.  _ Think about hemming jeans _ . That made her smile disappear. Seriously, she asked, “Should we start going to class?”

“Yes, we should,” Alya agreed. Alya closed her locker with a swing of her hip and walked step in time with Marinette down the hall. Alya’s expression had entirely changed from investigative journalist to regular friend smile. “Last day before break! We should do something this weekend. Are you free tonight?”

“Yeah, I am!” Marinette agreed. “What do you want to-“

“Oh shoot, actually, tonight won’t work for me. I’m babysitting. How about Saturday night?”

Saturday night was her date. There was no way she would double book herself. Marinette shook her head and pigtails. “No, I’m busy Saturday. I’m...babysitting too.”

“Manon?”

“As always.”

“Oh, I love that cutie. I could help you?”

“Oh, um, no. We are going to her house actually and Madame Chamack doesn’t want….that won’t work. How about Sunday?”

“You’re sure I can’t help you? Don’t you love getting help watching Manon?”

Marinette squeaked out, “No, I’m sure! Let’s do Sunday!”

Alya bit the inside of her cheek and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, cool. So not Saturday. I’ll check back with you about Sunday.” She pulled her phone out, angling it away from Marinette and typing quickly. “Just asking Nino if he has plans on Sunday. Maybe he and Adrien can join us.” She looked up to read Marinette’s reaction. 

She tried to remain as calm as possible at that idea. “T-that could be fun,” she said, “maybe.” If the date went poorly it wouldn’t be fun! Although the entire purpose of the date was just to try romance, and if it failed, revert back to friendship. So...it would be an extension of the test, right? “That would be a great idea, actually.”

“It wouldn’t be too much Adrien in one weekend?”

“No, I wouldn’t mind,” Marinette answered automatically. 

Alya’s phone buzzed in her hand. She looked at it and smirked, then looked back up, looking at Marinette from the sides of her eyes. “Oh, good. Not even after your secret first date on Saturday night?”

“My-my what?!” Marinette gasped. 

Alya pounced, gasping and pointing a finger at Marinette. “I  _ knew _ it! That is a guilty face! You  _ do  _ have a secret first date on Saturday night!”

“Why would you-....I don’t-....”

Alya tapped the side of her nose. “Don’t try to hide from a journalist, girl. I know  _ all _ your secrets!”

“ _ Alya _ ,” Marinette hissed. She pulled her aside and said in a hushed voice, “Okay, fine, yes, we have a secret first date. But we didn’t want to tell you guys!”

Alya crossed her arms, pouting. “Obviously. I have to admit, I’m a little hurt, Marinette. Why didn’t you want to tell me?”

Marinette looked around to see if Adrien was nearby. She really didn’t want him to know she’d broken one of their few promises already. “It’s just a first date, that’s why. Adrien and I are so close...We don’t want to mess up our friendship.”

“That’s a wussy excuse to get out of dating someone you don’t really like, Marinette,” Alya groaned. “Don’t let him get away with that!”

“No, we’re not...we  _ are _ going out. But we just want to have a trial first date. See if we mesh romantically, you know? No pressure. And if it goes great, great! And if it doesn’t...we can be friends again without awkwardly breaking up. So telling you and Nino would just be adding pressure to it.”

Alya sighed. She thought about it. “I guess we would be pressuring you. But just because we love you so much and want you both to be happy!”

“We know that. But what if it doesn’t go well?”

Alya rubbed Marinette’s shoulder. “Oh, my little Mari. It will go well. You two have practically been dating since Bustier announced our project. Study dates by the Eiffel Tower? Cuddling in your lawn chair at sunset? Dinner with mom and dad? Girl, those ain’t platonic things to do with your project partner.”

Marinette smiled softly. Those were moments between Marinette and Adrien, not just Chat Noir and his crush. “I hope you’re right.”

“I’m always right, my girl.”  

“But please don’t let Adrien know that you know...I told him I wouldn’t tell.”

The warning bell sounded. “You’ve got my word,” Alya said with a handshake. Then, the two friends hurried arm in arm to their first classes. 

—

Marinette’s day flew by in a pink cloud of euphoria. She had either Adrien and Alya in most of her classes and both of them would send her delighted looks whenever she would get caught daydreaming or giggling at nothing in particular. She found herself sitting as close to Adrien as possible. He used every excuse in the book to touch her- picking off lint, handing her pencils, fixing her hair. In their classes together, she spent almost as much time staring at his face, hair, and eyes as she did looking at the board. Not even Chloé’s most poisonous of glares could pop her bubble. 

By the time Marinette reached Mlle Bustier’s composition class near the end of the day, Marinette had sighed enough that even Alix had asked her what was going on. Not to mention how Rose hounded her for details. True to her word, she didn’t tell a soul outside of the two who already knew. 

Alya waved Marinette over to their seat. There were only three groups left to present today, so most students were electing to sit in their regular seats, not with their partners. The two didn’t have long to chat before the first pair of students were called up to present on four leaf clovers. Afterwards, they had just enough time after that presentation for Alya to whisper an explanation to Marinette as to how she’d figured out Adrien and she had a date that weekend. 

“...and besides all the glaring evidence I just mentioned and your super obvious face as you told me about it, I asked Nino to invite Adrien to do something on Saturday, too. Adrien claimed he had a meeting, but wouldn’t tell Nino where. Put all that together, and  _ blam _ . Secret first date, Saturday night.”

“I’m very impressed,” Marinette said. Now that it had been an entire day of exchanging secret smiles with Adrien, she felt downright confident about their first date. 

“You should be. I’m a journalistic genius.” Alya rubbed her hands together, almost wickedly. “Now, I just need to hone these skills and get Ladybug and Chat Noir to admit they’re dating.”

Marinette tensed, but didn’t have time to respond before Mlle Bustier called up Mylène and Nino. Mylène carried a black poster with little triangular cat ears taped to the top and yarn whiskers hanging off the side. Their facts and figures were written in gel pen, with “LES CHATS NOIRS” scrawled across the top. Marinette grinned. She noticed Adrien in front of her sitting up a little taller. Marinette could easily imagine his tail flicking in delight. 

Nino and Mylène did an excellent job. Their facts and anecdotes were interesting and relatable. Marinette was delighted to hear every connection they made to the Chat Noir of Paris, Nino’s personal favorite hero, and Marinette couldn’t wait to ask Adrien his opinion as well. They even connected the superstition to potentially stemming from ancient Chat Noirs of destruction, similar to Chloé and Alya’s theory about Ladybug’s legacy of luck. As Mylène began the conclusion, Marinette noticed Nino making direct, almost overly intense eye contact with Alya. 

She leaned into her friend and whispered, “why is he staring at you like that?”

Alya whispered back, “I think he’s going to…”

She stopped whispering when Nino spoke his line. “And that is why generations of people will avoid letting a black cat cross their path. But remember, black cats still make great pets and many are in shelters, needing homes. Just think what the Stray of Paris would want. Adopt a black cat today!” And then, Nino dabbed. 

“He  _ did it! _ ” Alya whispered. She and the rest of the class clapped, but Alya was laughing as well. Nino gave her a wink from the front of the room. While Mlle Bustier graded, the class was allowed to chat again. Alya turned back to Marinette. “I dared him to dab at the end of his speech.”

“Alya, no!”

Alya laughed. “I did! I told him if he would do it, I’d give him and Little Nino a prize.”

“What prize?”

Alya looked around the classroom and looked back to Marinette. She opened her mouth into an ‘o’ shape...but didn’t say anything. Was that supposed to be the prize? Alya opened her eyes wider and added a hand motion- a small circle between her fingers, moving up and down towards her mouth. 

“You’d take him to dinner?”

“What? No.” Alya rolled her eyes and tried again. She formed an o with her mouth and began to puff out her cheeks and then suck in. She looked a lot like a fish, really. 

“Um...you’ll take him to the aquarium?”

“ _ The aquarium?! _ Girl, what?!” Alya threw her head back and laughed. “The  _ aquarium?!” _

Nino had joined Adrien at his seat and turned around to look at the girls behind him. “What’s so funny?”

Between laughs, Alya said, “Nino, Marinette thinks...she thinks I’m taking you to the aquarium!”

Marinette was becoming a little peeved. “Hey! What’s wrong with the aquarium?”

Nino gave her a fist bump in solidarity. “Yeah, I like the aquarium. All the little fishy dudes.”

Alya wiped a tear from her eye. “Okay, but she thought that was the terms of the dabbing dare. Would you rather  _ go to the aquarium,  _ or…?”

Nino’s eyes snapped wide. “Oh, what? No, man. Fuck those fish.” Alya laughed loud and hard again. Then Nino continued, “but that is a great name. Can we please call it ‘going to the aquarium’ now?”

“You got it, dude,” Alya agreed, throwing a finger gun at her boyfriend. 

Marinette pouted. She still wasn’t exactly sure what Alya had been miming, but she had suspicions, and was pretty much positive it was something sexual. “You shouldn’t make fun of me just for being innocent,” she announced. 

By now, Adrien had turned around, too. He watched Alya respond as she quickly changed her body language into something more mothering. “Oh no, sweetie, I’m not making fun of you. It’s just a funny thing to say! But girl, at this point, it’s not innocence. It’s ignorance. You’re about to start your second relationship! You should know these things!”

Nino gasped. “Second relationship?!” He looked over at Adrien expectedly. Marinette panicked- Adrien was going to be so upset!

But Alya grabbed Marinette protectively and shook her head at Nino. “No, no. I didn’t mean anything like that. Just that she’s ended her first, she’s single, ready to mingle, and quite a catch.” Alya looked over at Adrien, who seemed to be trying to read between the lines and tell if Alya knew or not. “Right, Adrien?”

“Uh...Yes,” Adrien agreed. A blush tinged his cheeks. “She is a catch. She’s Mari-velous.” He smiled at Marinette, who couldn’t help but blush back. 

Nino groaned. “Aw, man, you can’t woo girls with puns!”

Marinette giggled. She wasn’t too sure about that- it had worked well enough for Chat Noir. Still, she smirked down at Adrien. “Yeah, Adrien. You can’t woo girls with puns.”

“Don’t try to Dupain-Change me, Marinette!”

Marinette exploded into a fit of giggles. “We’re only trying to be of  _ aid- _ rien.”

Adrien gasped. His green eyes sparkled in delight. “ _ Now _ who’s trying to woo girls with puns?”

“Still just you!” Marinette replied. 

“Oh...oops,” Adrien said. As they laughed at one another and as Nino complained that Adrien had corrupted Marinette, Alya slipped her a note. 

Marinette looked down at the paper scrap. Next to a drawing of a heart, it read,  _ you’re going to be just fine _ . 

—-

“You’re going to be just fine,” Alya said again, almost exactly 24 hours later. She was in  Marinette’s room, helping her choose between outfits. Alya was cross-legged on the bed while Marinette danced around nervously in just her underwear, having tried on multiple dresses already. “That boy is putty in your hands. This should be fun, not scary!”

“You say that, but…” Marinette held up her sunset-colored dress that Adrien had mentioned a week earlier. She turned to Alya. “He likes this one. He saw me design it over summer. That would be nice, right?”

“Aww, that would be adorable! Connections!” Alya cooed. More practically, she asked, “Where are you going again?”

Marinette smiled to herself. They had dozens of ideas, but Adrien had finally agreed on Choco Story, a museum he’d mentioned wanting to take Ladybug to months earlier. “Just a little chocolate place we talked about going to once. Then dinner at a café.” 

“Walking?”

“Probably. Maybe a rickshaw ride.”

“Hmm.” Alya walked over to the dress, inspecting it and feeling the fabric. “If you’re outside, you’re going to need a jacket. I don’t know if this would work well with that.”

“Oh, no,” Marinette agreed. She gestured to the structured top and the details on the straps. “It would cover up all the handiwork. It is rather thin fabric too, isn’t it.” She pouted. “It’s a sundress.”

“Yeah, try for something you can layer. You still want an excuse to cuddle, but not because you’re  _ actually  _ uncomfortable.”

Marinette fished in her closet again, then held up a red polka-dot dress. She put it against herself in the mirror. The spots read more “Minnie mouse” than Ladybug, so Marinette presumed it wouldn’t be too on the nose. “What about this one?”

“ _ Very  _ cute,” Alya said. Marinette spun back to the mirror, holding the dress up. It was a halter-top, very 50’s inspired. 

She pulled the dress off its hanger, gently zipped it up onto her dress form, and pulled out a black jacket. Marinette had embroidered little white flowers on the lapel that would tie into the colors of the spots and also modernized the look. She tried it on the dress form and smiled. “What do we think?”

“Well, I don’t know about  _ you _ , but that mannequin is ready to snag Adrien with a single glance.”

Marinette laughed. She pulled the dress pieces off to start putting them on herself. “Do you really think I’ll snag him?”

“Ma choupette, it’s so obviously going to go well that it’s not even worth betting on. Oh! Speaking of which! Which of you asked the other out?”

Marinette was glad the dress was currently over her head, covering her face. Alya wouldn't see her blush. She pulled it back down and finally admitted, “he did.”

“Dang it,” Alya said. “Nino will be thrilled. We had five euro riding on who would fess up first.”

Frankly, the biggest confession had been Marinette’s to hint at first, what with their secret identities and all. But the crush confession was a big deal, too. She waved Alya over to zip her up and slipped the jacket over the dress. “Okay...is this a ‘yes’?”

Alya turned them both towards the mirror. She rested her head on Marinette’s shoulder, smiling softly. “Absolutely a yes.”

“It’s not too…”

“No, it’s great. Marinette, you look smoking  _ hot _ in red. And if we can put on some red lipstick…” she dragged Marinette towards her vanity, “maybe put your hair down for once…” she gently pulled out Marinette’s pig tails. Her hair stubbornly creased where they had been held together for so long. 

“I’ll brush that out,” Marinette promised, laughing. They gussied up her hair and makeup. Alya gave Marinette as many tips as she would accept, most of which were to just be herself, since Adrien obviously really liked her already. 

At just past 4:15, Marinette and her tiny black clutch looked ready for a magical night. “My work is complete,” Alya exclaimed.

“How is this your work?” Marinette asked. “I made the clothes and did my own makeup!”

“Moral support! You’d still be crying under a pile of clothes if you didn’t have your maid of honor here.”

“Alya, don’t jinx it. It’s only a first date. You know I’m just…”

“I know, I know. Testing the waters. Getting a little taste. Analyzing the sexual chemistry. Taking him out for a test drive. I got it. I didn’t even tell Nino.”

The girls heard a knock on Marinette’s trap door. “He’s here early!” Marinette squeaked, her clutch zooming in front of her face in terror. 

Instead of Adrien pushing the door up, it was Sabine and Tom. They had matching smiles that only melted into wider smiles upon seeing Marinette. “Oh, mon cœur, you look amazing!” Sabine gushed. 

She finished climbing the ladder and rushed over to hug Marinette. “My little girl. All grown up and going on her second first date. And with  _ Adrien Agreste,  _ finally!”

Tom stepped up as well, wrapping his arms around Marinette as well. “You’ll remember this day, ma petite. Write it down.” He mimed writing on a giant calendar. “October 20th. First date with my dad’s future son-in-law.”

“You  _ guys _ ,” Marinette groaned. She could hear Alya laughing to the side. “Don’t tease me!”

“We have to tease you, dear. It was in the contract at the hospital.” Sabine winked at her daughter. “Besides, it’s either in front of Alya or in front of Adrien.”

“So you won’t tease us when he gets here?”

Sabine held her husband’s hand. She looked so delighted at the sight before her. “No, not tonight. I know this is important for you. You should feel as confident as we all are.”

That made Marinette choke up just a bit. Her parents had made it no secret once Luka was out of the picture how much they liked seeing Adrien around. “Thanks,” she said. “ Wǒ ài nǐ [2], Maman. Papa.”

 “Us too,” Sabine said. “And Alya, maybe we can talk about them all once they’ve left, hmm? And how cute of a couple those two are?”

 “I do nothing better, Madame,” Alya replied. “But she doesn’t want Adrien to know I know about tonight. Are _you_ allowed to know? Or did you figure it out from Mademoiselle terrible-secret-keeper?”

 Tom answered that one. “Oh, Marinette woke us up in the middle of the night on Thursday to tell us. It was almost midnight! You crazy kids, texting at all hours of the night.”

 Alya rounded on Marinette. “I thought you said it was after dinner!”

 Marinette blushed. “Midnight is after dinner…”

 “Ooh, I hope we didn’t get you in trouble, Marinette. Alya looks ready to ground you.”

 “Please don’t give her any more ideas, Maman,” Marinette begged. “I’m going to go wait for Adrien. Would you mind _not_ being there when he arrives?”

 “Then who will take the picture?” Sabine asked. 

 “Nobody! This isn’t a wedding, Maman. It’s just a trial date!” 

 “I hope _somebody_ takes your pictures tonight. You look so cute!”

 “Nobody’s taking our picture.” Marinette shook her head. “I’m going to wait in the store now. Nobody follow me!” She looked over at the three helicoptering loved ones. They finally looked ready to let her go. 

 She headed down the ladder and then down again into the store, sitting patiently behind the register. Luckily, no one else pushed through the swinging door behind the counter, but she was pretty positive ears were pressed against it. 

 The three minutes it took for Adrien to arrive, which was still two minutes earlier than they had agreed, were excruciating. But he arrived and when he pushed the door open, Marinette swore he’d never looked more handsome. The light that entered with Adrien’s entry surrounded him like a halo, drawing Marinette in like a moth to a flame. She stood up, stumbling a little on her kitten heels on her way to greet him.

 He had swapped his normal T-shirt for a dark grey button up shirt, rolled to the elbows and topped with a tasteful textured bright green tie. He stopped in the doorway, eyes panning over Marinette. Adrien mouthed ‘wow’ and Marinette felt herself blush from head to toe. Marinette finished crossing the floor over to her date. Adrien took her hand and kissed it, which nearly melted Marinette on the spot. “You look beautiful, My Lady,” he whispered. 

 “It’s not too...Ladybug?” She desperately wanted to be seen as Marinette _and_ Ladybug tonight. Not just one or the other. And from Adrien’s choice in color scheme, she imagined he felt the same. 

  **“** I think you look perfect. You’re gorgeous, Marinette.” With a trembling hand, Adrien felt her hair, resting just above her shoulders. He parted his hand through it like a waterfall. “Wow,” He said again. 

 “You too,” Marinette admitted. How weird, to tell Adrien Agreste to his face how handsome he was. Even weirder to tell Chat Noir. “I love what you did with your hair. You look very, very handsome, Adrien.”

 The door behind the counter squeaked slightly. Marinette turned to look at it and saw it move back into place. The eavesdroppers were pushing to hear more, she was sure. “Let’s get out of here. Are we taking a carriage? Rickshaw? The metro?”

 Adrien grimaced. “Actually...I had some bad news about that. I didn’t have time to tell you earlier.”

 Marinette panicked. What was it? Was he cancelling? Did he change his mind? Was he moving out of the city? Out of the _country?_

 “I finally got a chance to tell my dad I had a date tonight. And he, uh, _insisted_ I take a chaperone.” Adrien opened the door of the boulangerie to reveal his bodyguard standing in front of his car. 

 “Oh,” Marinette said, a little disappointed. 

 “I know...it doesn’t make for the date we were thinking of…” he sighed. 

 “Hey, it’s not as bad as it could be,” Marinette said. At least he wasn’t moving. Trying to muster all her confidence, after staring down at his hand for a good twenty seconds, she laced her fingers between his. Adrien’s palm was soft and strong and just a bit bigger than hers and felt just as good as it had two nights earlier, in her room. “I’m just happy we’re going. I’d rather have The Gorilla as a chaperone than Nathalie! I feel judged every time she’s in the room.”

 Adrien laughed. “You’re not the only one. It took me years of working with her all day every day to realize she just _looks_ like that.” They walked down the path to the car, hand in hand. Adrien’s bodyguard opened the door and Adrien crawled in first, patting the seat for Marinette to join. 

 Marinette pulled herself into the car. His car was temperate with soft upholstery- certainly nicer than most cars she had been in. The bodyguard closed the door behind them, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone for a few precious seconds. “So, we’re being babysat all night, right?”

 Sighing, Adrien nodded. “Yep. Father insisted on knowing everything we had planned, so he’s going to go through the museum with us and is supposed to go to dinner, too.”

 “You get to go to school and hang out with friends alone. Uh, _sometimes._ How come this is so different?” Marinette asked, disappointed. 

 “Because it’s a date. In his words, there are different temptations and more possibility of paparazzi.” He looked at Marinette a little sheepishly. “It’s...my first date. And not just my first date with you, I mean. I didn’t even have friends outside of Chloé until Mlle Bustier’s class, and I, uh, was caught up with Ladybug the whole time.” Adrien was blushing, his voice a little unsteady with his nerves. 

 Marinette wanted to say more to support him, but The Gorilla stepped into the driver's seat. So instead, she got up her courage to grab Adrien’s hand again. It was the best wordless response she could give. He squeezed her hand back, grateful. 

 The driver tapped in the address of the chocolate museum on his GPS and the electronic voice announced a 16 minute drive. 

 The first few blocks were spent in uncomfortable silence and awkward comments. Yes, they were holding hands, but they sat a foot apart, not daring to even make extended eye contact. Marinette kept looking at the dark eyes of Adrien’s bodyguard in the rear view mirror. This wasn’t boding well for them. 

 And then, in a move of incredible generosity, the driver pushed a button. Slowly, the partition between the back and front of the car raised. The last thing Marinette saw of the bodyguard was a pointed smile. Adrien turned to her and smiled wider. “He’s giving us a little privacy,” he explained. 

 “Yeah,” Marinette laughed. “I noticed.” This date was all supposed to be about trying new things, right? Testing what it could be like to be Adrien Agreste’s girlfriend? And so Marinette decided to be brave and do exactly what she would want to do if she as his girlfriend. 

 Well, maybe a little less that what she would want to do. She didn’t throw herself at him to make out, after all. 

 Marinette pulled a little slack in her seatbelt and scooted closer to Adrien, then leaned into his body. Adrien put an arm around her as well. They had sat like this before, in and out of costume. This felt different, though. It felt bolder. More real. 

 Adrien adjusted his position to help her be more comfortable, then started to stroke her hair. “I’ve never seen you with your hair down before.”

 “It’s a special occasion,” Marinette replied softly. “But don’t get too used to it, mon cher. It’s too much hassle to do very often.”

 Adrien leaned his face into Marinette’s hair. She could feel him smile. “You’ve never called me ton cher before,” Adrien said. 

 Marinette snuggled closer to him, feeling her heart pound. The adrenaline rush felt a lot like fighting an akuma, and the outcome felt just as important. “I’ve also never been on a date with you before.” She turned her face slowly to look at his- just inches away. Oh, god, their faces were so close. “Is it okay?”

 

“Yes, mon cookie, I love it. I want to be ton cher.”

 

Marinette smiled softly. He had referred to her as his cookie before, but only in the sense of talking about their secret life as Ladybug and Chat Noir. Never as a pet name. She could absolutely go for that. 

 

With a quivering voice and a pattering heart, Marinette replied, “Then I am ton cookie, if you are mon cher.” [3] With her eyes boring into his, it was easy to see them flick down to her lips. Panic struck Marinette. She would ruin everything if they kissed already! She wasn’t ready for that. No first kiss with Adrien had ever been imagined in the backseat of a car. So Marinette ignored the sign and turned her face again. But as to not reject him completely, she snuggled even closer into his shoulder. 

 “Oh, Adrien, I wanted to ask you what you thought of Nino and Mylène’s presentation yesterday,” Marinette said. 

 He squeezed her tight to emphasize his words. “I _loved_ it! I thought they did a cat-tastic job. They brought up some things about Chat Noir’s powers I hadn’t even considered.”

 “Really? Like what?”

 “I figured he’s been around for about as long as Ladybug. But I never really thought his powers were so intrinsically woven into ‘bad luck’, to the point where he could even be the one to inspire the superstition about black cats.”

 Marinette wove her fingers back into the hands that wrapped around her waist. She played with his fingers, imagining sharp claws on each one. Did his nails grow under the suit, or did the suit just have pointed tips? “You’ve never considered that? I sure have. I mean, I used to be very, very unlucky outside of...but that’s kind of changed over time. Over the time that Ladybug has saved me, interacted with me...all of that. Look at me now!” Marinette squeezed Adrien’s hands, trying to let him know that she meant this, being together. “I just figured maybe the reverse happened for Chat.”

 “If it has, he hasn’t noticed,” Adrien said. “He gets to be with the woman he loves, saving the city he is passionate about, living the life he wants. There’s nothing unlucky about any of that.” 

 Marinette smiled. Then she remembered the small screen in the back of the chairs in front of them. The screens weren’t on, but that wasn’t to say the car wasn’t bugged and wired. She wasn’t sure, but Marinette hoped they had masked enough that neither the driver nor anyone recording could pick up their meanings. But Marinette decided to finish off with one last comment anyway. “I definitely think Ladybug and Chat Noir are lucky to have found each other. Or I guess, be pushed together.”

 “Not as lucky as Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, If I may be so bold.”

 Marinette giggled. He had never once implied that their daily identities were an even better fit than the magic ones. She kind of loved that. 

 The car slowly rolled to a stop and the screens in front of them flicked on, displaying the Agreste logo. Marinette felt Adrien stiffen below her. “Sit up, sit up,” he hissed. She had already been on her way. 

 Marinette smoothed down her hair (yet another reason to wear pigtails) and Adrien fixed his tie before the little green webcam light came on. 

 Gabriel Agreste’s stern face looked back at them. “Good evening, Adrien. Good evening, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng.”

 Marinette’s already quickened heart rate skipped a beat. Was she meeting his dad right now….in a dating capacity? Obviously not in person, but Marinette had met him before and frankly, this felt just as warm and cuddly as he was in the flesh. She replied at the same time as Adrien, “Good evening, Monsieur Agreste.”

 “I’m not here to chat,” Gabriel announced. _Oh, good_ , Marinette thought. “I just wanted to remind you both of your responsibilities tonight.”

 Responsibilities? Marinette glanced at Adrien in confusion. He just stared straight at the screen. 

 “Adrien is the public face of the House of Agreste. While his fame normally follows the rising tides based on our most recent ad campaigns and product releases, he is still the most recognizable teenager of Paris. Teenagers at the age of sixteen are typically expected to date. Once the public catches wind of your first date, they will hound you, regardless of his current wave of fame.

 “Your story is simple and sweet. Adrien met you, Mademoiselle, at collège, where he attended like any normal child. Mademoiselle is a kind, upper-middle class daughter of the people. Literally a baker’s daughter. Nothing could be more relatable. But she sews and designs clothing and has a history with the House of Agreste. She aspires to have a professional future with us as well. A perfect connection to you, Adrien, and to what you represent. Now that you have advanced to lycée together, you hope to have the kind of sweet, innocent lycée romance the public adores. 

 “When in public, you will encompass everything the House of Agreste expects of you. Adrien, I expect you to coach Mademoiselle into the representation of our company you claim her to already be. In that I mean friendly, generous, calm, serious, studious, free from controversy, not outshining you in any way, and of course...fashionable.” Gabriel turned his eyes to Marinette. “Your outfit today works very well with the image we hope to get across. Adrien absolutely _insisted_ I let you pick your own outfit today-” _let me pick my own outfit??_ “And I see his insistence paid off. However, you will need to have all future date outfits approved. You can send images to Nathalie. If we have pieces that need more advertising in the public view, they will be sent over before future dates.

 “Additionally, the activities you have picked are ideal. A studious afternoon at a museum that emphasizes on an element of ‘fun’ and kitsch, perfect for children, followed by an early evening dinner and a polite goodbye. You two must remember what you represent and who you represent. There will be no hormonally-charged making out, slipping off, inappropriate touching, or any other signs that are unbecoming of poster children. Hands are allowed on each other’s hands, arms, shoulders, and waistline only. Kisses will be close-mouthed and last less than 5 seconds each. Adrien, your bodyguard will attend to these demands.”

 Marinette was blushing furiously. Not even _her_ parents had the gall to bring up kissing already! She looked nervously at Adrien, who honestly just looked exasperated. “Father, this is just a first date. We just want to know _if_ we work together. Won’t so many rules put...unrealistic stress on us?”

 “All the more reason to follow them to the letter. If Mademoiselle is going to continue spending time with you, she _must_ be able to conform to the expectations of the House of Agreste.” He turned his eyes towards Marinette, expression never changing. “Should this date go well, I will look closer into your portfolio and public persona before approving a longer term relationship.”

 He looked back at the both of them and finished, “Enjoy your night. Adrien, you will be home by 8:45.” The screen clicked off and the little webcam light extinguished before he could ask if either of them had any questions. Marinette certainly did- namely, what the heck?!

 “Is this...normal for you?” Marinette asked quietly. 

 Adrien sighed. He nodded. “I bet you didn’t realize you had fallen for a carefully-groomed mascot,” he said bitterly. Adrien started to unbuckle his seatbelt, but Marinette grabbed his hand first. 

 “Adrien...I had a crush on a mascot. I fell for the boy I came to know.”

 Before he could reply, Marinette's door swung open. The bodyguard stood outside and grunted to let them out. 

 The two teenagers climbed out of the car. Marinette was reciting her new rules in her head, combining them with her rules with Chat Noir to protect their identities. Adrien held her hand and mouthed “sorry” as they fell into step behind the massive man buying their tickets. 

 Marinette smiled back as reassuringly as she could. The arm was an approved touch-place, right? So she wrapped her hands around his bicep and said, “Its part of the package, mon cher. And I want this package. If these rules help us stay safe and secure, I’m all for them.”

 That was when she heard first camera shutter. Marinette instinctively turned to look and saw a family in line ahead of them, whispering and pointing. No one else on the street or in line seemed to cause a fuss. It was significantly less than the attention Marinette and Adrien had gone through during their exploits with Gorizilla, immediately following his ad campaign. She mentioned that to him and Adrien laughed. 

 “You know...no one asked me to confirm or deny rumors you were my girlfriend that day,” he said. His smile spread wider and wider. Adrien looked down at Marinette and nudged her once. “Maybe tonight we can give them that confirmation.”

Marinette’s throat swelled in emotion. She remembered reading the rumors. They didn’t last long, since Adrien was kept practically under lock and key immediately following that experience, but she had printed every article, purchased every magazine, and scrapbooked every headline. “I hope so,” Marinette said. She met Adrien’s eyes until they were separated by a grunt and the bodyguard handing them their tickets. 

The group entered the museum and Marinette was immediately overwhelmed by the scent of chocolate. There were placards in multiple languages around the walls, chocolate displays, chocolate sculptures, information about the cacao bean, and more all-you-can-eat chocolate dispensers than Marinette could count. She felt her bag buzz with excitement. Obviously, Tikki could smell it, too.

Adrien, who was holding Marinette’s hand and whose hip was on the side of her clutch, apparently also felt it buzz. He chuckled. A little loudly, he said, “You know, Marinette...I’m glad there are so many free samples. We have a friend who would love that, don’t we?”

“Absolutely. I might have to save a few samples in my purse for her.”

With the bodyguard trailing behind them and a flash of a few more cameras, Adrien and Marinette walked through the first part of the museum- all information about the history of chocolate and the cacao bean’s ancient Aztec tradition. Marinette pointed at a display of an Aztec warrior. It looked a lot like some of the warriors Tikki had pointed out one late night on google, talking about Ladybugs of the past. “Ladybug and Chat Noir have Aztec warrior ancestors,” she said.

“They do?!” Adrien asked, turning to look at Marinette with delight and surprise. “How do you know?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at Adrien. “How am I supposed to answer that?” she whispered. So she said out loud for the benefit of anyone close, “I read it somewhere.”

“Wow, I wonder what they were like. Their costumes must have been  _ incredible _ .” Adrien said, wistfully.

“I’ve drawn a few ideas before, with a little bit of help. I’ll have to show you sometime.”

“I would love that,” Adrien agreed. “I don’t get to hear much about Chat Noir and Ladybug’s past, even though I think it’s really, really interesting and have asked about it.  _ Ai! _ ” He put his hand over his hip where his pocket was and grimaced in pain. Marinette could guess what had happened. Plagg didn’t like to be gossiped about.

They finished the first half of the museum, occasionally talking about the chocolate, occasionally imagining Aztec Ladybug and Chat Noir, as well as what they would be like throughout all the different parts of history displayed on the walls.

When they approached the first all-you-can-eat display, Marinette’s bag was practically bouncing. She surreptitiously snuck a single piece of milk chocolate inside the clutch. The first of many, she was sure. Adrien smiled at Marinette. “You’re giving before you even try yourself?” He picked a piece out from the bowl and held it out for her, at the level of her face. “Here. Try some.”

Marinette’s heart pounded. He wanted to feed her. She leaned forward to take the bite from his hand...and then heard a clear grunt behind them. She looked over and saw the bodyguard slowly shake his head. Disappointed, she pulled her head back and put out a hand.

Adrien caught on and placed the chocolate in her hand. He still seemed happy with that concession, then tried his own.

The three of them moved around the museum like that for awhile. They read a few more placards, Marinette even reading one or two paragraphs out loud in English and Adrien reading the rare Mandarin placards to her. It wasn’t exactly funny information, but the longer they were there, the more they laughed together. They tried plenty of chocolate, as did Tikki. Marinette even grabbed an extra informational brochure to put in her clutch so Tikki could read along.

One of Marinette’s favorite things was the display of chocolate sculptures. She gripped Adrien’s hand, gasping as the chocolate monuments of Paris loomed over them. “Look how beautiful! And how fragile!”

“This would be much easier to knock down than the real tower,” Adrien agreed as they admired the detailed, intricate chocolate.

 "And yet, how many times have we seen the Eiffel Tower in pieces?” Marinette teased. She nudged Adrien, giggling loud when he took the chance to wrap an arm around her waist and tickle her side.

 The Gorilla behind them cleared his throat again.

 Adrien turned around, a little off-put. “But Dad said the waist-”

 The Gorilla was frowning, shaking his head as he wiggled his fingers, tickling the air.

 “ _Fine_ ,” Adrien groaned. He kept his hand there, which Marinette was more than happy with anyway, but stopped tickling her. 

 Marinette’s favorite displays were the chocolate clothing draped over mannequins and the sturdy, beautiful shoes. She stared at them in delight. They were beautiful and played into and against the chocolate medium with genius precision. “These are incredible,” Marinette said. “I...wow. I’m getting so many ideas from them.”

 “For your own designs?” Adrien asked with interest. Marinette just nodded, stepping closer to the display and pulling Adrien along. “Adrien...do you mind if I sketch something? I just thought of it and don’t want to forget.”

 “Oh, please do!” Adrien said. “The museum closes in thirty minutes. Is that enough time? We can take pictures! I can bring you back!”

 Marinette laughed. What a sweet boy, the way he pounced on her interests and tried to make them happen. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I’m just sketching. That will be plenty of time. It might not be fun for you, though…”

 Adrien gently touched where she had kissed and drew in a deep breath. “Mari, I can’t imagine anything better than watching you work when inspiration strikes.”

 She smiled back at him and opened her clutch. Tikki was grinning at the bottom of the sack, chocolate smeared all over her face. She handed up the sketchbook and Marinette sat on the floor.

 Adrien joined her, looking over her shoulder as she worked. The tourist cameras and cell phones around them went nuts. Inspired by the chocolate dresses, Marinette did her best to just ignore them. Adrien ignored them, too, Sitting and putting his arm on the floor behind her, making a chair for Marinette where he could watch her sketch.

 Marinette finished two drawings and before starting her third, an inspired hat, she scrawled in the corner, _Je m’amuse beaucoup._ [4]

 Adrien hummed in delight and nuzzled his face against her hair. “Me too,” he said quietly.

 Marinette closed her eyes and felt his chest rise and lower. She put her pencil down and just enjoyed the moment, feeling his heartbeat and smelling his cologne. They were in their own world, their own pink cloud. Marinette moved her head just slightly, looking for eye contact. Now could work. Now could be their first kiss. Now could be the moment...

 But of course, now was the moment they heard loud shattering immediately behind them.

 Marinette, Adrien, and the bodyguard all turned around to see the source of the commotion. Marinette groaned when she saw it- a small child, purple from head to toe with pink bows scattered all over her body. Unmistakably an akumatized child. She held a stuffed bear in one hand and a chocolate piping bag in the other, standing directly on top of the toppled chocolate Eiffel Tower.

  “I WANT TO EAT THE CHOCOLATE!” she screamed- and when she screamed, more chocolate sculptures came toppling, including the chocolate mannequins directly in front of Marinette and Adrien. They ducked low, chocolate tumbling on top of them and a mannequin head flying and smacking the bodyguard solidly in the chest, knocking him to the floor.

 Adrien and Marinette leapt up and let the chocolate tumble off of them. “Change of plans, Cookie.”

 She gripped his hand and pulled him as fast as possible to the right and down an abandoned hallway while Adrien’s bodyguard slowly tried to recover. “Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1le Chat Noir/ les chats noirs: Marinette is trying to avoid the same mix-up that happened in [chapter 6 of the first part of this story.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717156/chapters/34645046) Since the 's' is usually silent in plural french words, like 'chats noirs', you only notice a plural through the use of 'les'. 'Le', singular 'the', is pronounced 'luh' and 'les', plural 'the', is pronounced 'lay'. Marinette wants to be clear to Alya that she loves black cats, as in the concept of the animal, not Black Cat, the superhero.  
> 2Wǒ ài nǐ: _Mandarin Chinese_ I love you  
>  3mon/ton cookie/cher: "Mon" is "my", and "Ton" is "your". These are specifically masculine, because Marinette is calling Adrien "cher", the masculine form of "dear", and Adrien is calling Marinette "cookie", which is a masculine word (even though Marinette is a girl, 'cookie' is still masculine.) Every time they say "mon" it's "my", and "ton" is "your". (For future reference, 'ma' and 'ta' are the feminine 'my' and 'your'. These are also all familiar- 'your' formal would always be 'votre'.  
> 4 Je m'amuse beaucoup: "I'm having a lot of fun."


	5. Saying Goodnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY SO released episodes are officially changing the canon that I wrote this story in. I've weighed the options of changing things to fit new canon and leaving it alone and have decided to leave it as is....if nothing else because if I start writing to fit in new canon (things about heroes, knowledge about kwamis, etc) it's going to be a mess of a puzzle to put this story back together and I'll have to fight with my writing quality, too. 
> 
> Luckily, nothing is...WRONG in this story (yet). It just now feels like an alternate timeline broke off somewhere before Anansi.
> 
> Anyway. Back to the first date!

Marinette pulled Adrien off to the side, behind a giant display of a cacao tree. Adrien was almost positive she had been about to kiss him...and he really hated the akuma for ruining that. But at least they got a chance to shed the chaperone and be themselves- their ass-kicking selves. 

 Not that he wanted to be known for kicking little kid ass. But hey, he didn’t pick the akumas. That was all Le Papillon. 

 They shouted for their transformations at the same time, so once Chat Noir appeared on the museum floor, so did his date- now as Ladybug. Even her hair had been magicked back into pigtails. 

 He offered a hand, standing in a chivalrous pose with his other hand behind his back. “Care for a romantic dance with danger, My Lady?”

 “Oh, chaton. Any dance with you is a romantic dance with danger. How about we teach this girl not to throw tantrums in public?” Ladybug winked, then took Chat’s outstretched hand. 

 Maybe it wasn’t the most traditional first date, but Adrien couldn’t think of a better way to test out a relationship with their secrets now shared. They ran back into the room where the akumatized little girl had appeared. Chat put an arm out to stop Ladybug from running into the fray and watched as she aimed her piping bag at a man running for his life. “I want more _CHOCOLATE!_ ” She screamed. A stream of chocolate shot from the bag and onto the innocent man, freezing him into a chocolate sculpture. 

 “She’s not very sweet,” Chat Noir said, mainly for Ladybug’s benefit. Then he shouted loud enough for the little girl to hear. “Hey, little one! Haven’t you heard; dessert comes _after_ dinner.”

 That seemed to set her off. The purple girl stomped her feet and screamed so loud, the arc de triomphe sculpture shattered. “I want it _now!_ Gourmonstre [1] wants it NOW!”

 “Gourmonstre,” Ladybug repeated. “And she can break chocolate with her voice...and turn people into chocolate with the piping bag. Have we seen her use the bear yet?”

 “Not yet. You think that’s the akuma?” Chat asked her, eyes on the girl as she turned more tourists into chocolate. Including Adrien’s own bodyguard. 

 “I’d bet my spots on it. Try and taunt her about it- let’s see.”

 Chat leapt away onto the top of a display case. “Cou-cou! Gourmonstre! That’s a cute bear- don’t you think it’ll get messy with all these sweets? Maybe the nice kitty should hold him.”

 She squeezed her teddy bear closer to her body, eyes blazing. “NO! He’s MY NOUNOURS![2] You can’t touch it!!!” She screamed again. Then she pointed her piping bag at Chat. Before the chocolate could fly, he ducked and rolled off the display and started spinning his baton like a shield. 

 Gourmonstre froze as Le Papillon took over her mind again. It didn’t last long- Chat didn’t even have time to move before she was shouting again. “BAD KITTY! I’ll take your MIRACUKOUS!”

 Chat darted away and noticed Ladybug throwing her yo-yo at the little girl’s feet. Unfortunately, Gourmonstre noticed, too. She smacked the yo-yo away with her precious teddy bear and kept approaching Chat Noir with her chocolate bag. “I’ll take your mircukous and Le Papillon will find out who you are!”

 Chat was backed up to a wall. So he held his baton in front of him and extended it enough to vault right over Gourmonstre’s head, a rainbow of chocolate following him. “Catch me if you candy!” he taunted. The chocolate arc showered on four poor tourists who had been crouching for safety, now frozen as chocolate sculptures. 

 “BAD KITTY! ARGGGGGH!” Gourmonstre screamed. Right along the path between Gourmonstre and Chat, the chocolate lined in glass containers and in displays shattered and flew around the room. But not the tourist sculptures. 

 Chat ran over to Ladybug who had been busying herself protecting guests and watching Chat. “Did you see that? Her scream breaks chocolate-”

 “But not her own sculptures. Do you think we can use that?”

 “I think we fudging can!”

 “She’s targeting us now,” Ladybug said as Gourmonstre pushed past chocolate sculptures and shot more chocolate their way. Ladybug and Chat Noir both spun their weapons as shields, backing up. “We should wrap this thing up. I’d like to get back to that date.”

 “Sweeter words were never said, Buginette!”

 “Cover me!” 

 Chat stepped in front of Ladybug as she stopped spinning and ran far enough to call for a Lucky Charm in solitude. He yelled back at Gourmonstre, “The only one who gives My Lady chocolates is me! All this sugar has gotten to your head!”

 Gourmonstre continued to advance on Chat, even as her chocolate spun off the baton like a sprinkler. She screamed and the chocolate fashion model behind Chat, the last one still standing, crumbled on top of him. His baton fell out of his hand and the little girl continued to advance, piping bag in hand. She shot directly at Chat’s face. 

 A stream of water from behind blasted into the chocolate, seizing it instantly. The coagulated chunks fell harmlessly onto Chat’s chest. He saw a red and black hand reach down and looked up to see his date’s relieved face. Chat took the hand and stood, just in time for Gourmonstre to aim and fire again. 

 But Ladybug brandished her red and black spotted water bottle like a weapon, squeezing it a second time and seizing the chocolate again. As Gourmonstre looked down at the piping bag in confusion, Ladybug shot right at her weapon, ruining the chocolate inside. 

 Chat Noir took his chance. He spun his baton and smacked the piping bag, now useless anyway, out of Gourmonstre’s tiny purple hands. “Looks like your plan’s all wet.”

 If Gourmonstre’s face was lilac before, it was deep violet now. She screwed it up in anger and screamed the highest pitch scream yet. Chat and Ladybug covered their ears in pain and more chocolate flew around the room. Shards of chocolate hit them, painfully. 

 “We have to get closer to her!” Ladybug yelled over the din of the scream. 

 “The only girl I want to get closer to is you!”

 “Very sweet, but let’s use that motivation to get this done faster!” Ladybug yelled back. He could see another dot disappear from her earring. Chat looked around desperately. Ladybug saw a plan first, throwing her yo-yo at Adrien’s now solid-chocolate bodyguard, still hunched over from trying to stand up. Her yo-yo strings wrapped around his waist. She tugged him through the storm of flying chocolate until he landed in front of Chat Noir and Ladybug. 

 They huddled underneath his curled back, thick tree-trunk arms protecting them on the sides and his legs protecting him on the front. “Okay,” Ladybug said, “We need to use him like a giant shield. Push him towards Gourmonstre; she can’t break this chocolate. She doesn’t have her bag anymore, but she can still use her voice or hit us with the nounours. When we get there, you jump out and spray her with this:” Ladybug handed Chat Noir the water bottle. “Get her really wet.”

 “Once again, Ladybug. I must remind you, the only girl I hope to get wet tonight is you.”

 “Chat Noir, that is disgusting! Especially since she’s like seven!”

 Chat laughed immaturely until he felt Ladybug punch him softly. “Sorry, maybe that was _taste_ less. I’ll try to sweeten the jokes. So I spray her, and then?”

 “Then I tie her up and get the akuma. Let’s go.”

 Ladybug put her hands on one thigh and Chat Noir his put hands on the other. As they pushed and eased through the chocolate streaks underneath them, Chat said, “I think we’re breaking Dad’s rules about where hands should go.”

 “I didn’t imagine we’d break that rule like this,” Ladybug teased. Chat grinned at her. It seemed like Marinette’s edginess was a little heightened as Ladybug. Of course, she was also best friends with Alya. That didn’t come without any side-effects, he was sure. 

 Finally they were close enough to the screaming, crying akumatized girl to set Ladybug’s plan into motion. Chat leapt out from his hiding spot and shouted, “Fur-cast calls for rain!”

 Gourmonstre shrieked in surprise, shaking and dripping wet. Surprises kept coming for her when Ladybug’s yo-yo tightened around the distracted girl. Ladybug raced over to pull the teddy bear out of her arms and ripped his head off. A purple akuma flew out of the bear’s body, immediately caught by Ladybug’s yo-yo. 

 Chat backed up to watch his favorite part of the battle again. Ladybug cleansed the akuma, cleaned up the chocolate museum and the confused guests, and then returned to give Chat a fist bump. He could hear her earring beep another warning. 

 “Let’s get out of here,” Chat purred. He dashed over to the parents of the girl who was Gourmonstre and shook their hands. “I’d watch the temper on this one. Maybe talk to her about boundaries. Sorry about the mess on your trip, Mesdames.[3]”

 “Thank you for saving our little girl,” the taller woman said, putting her hand on the head of their daughter. “We will see what’s bothering her...besides wanting to eat every piece of chocolate here.”

 “But-but-but…” the little girl whined. 

 Chat bent down. “Can I tell you a secret? I love chocolate, too. But when I eat too much, I get a tummy-ache. It’s fun to get treats sometimes! But your mamans know more about tummy aches than you do. I’d listen to them when they say it’s time to stop. Too much sweet can make you not want chocolate for a whole year.”

 “A whole year?!”

 The shorter mom bent down too. “He’s right. A whole year. We should listen to Chat Noir, shouldn’t we?”

 “Ouais!!!!”

 “Now say ‘merci’ to the nice superheroes.”

 “Merci, Chaton Noir! Merci Ladeeboog!”

 Chat laughed. He stood up and returned to Ladybug, who had the face of a melting girl. Once he reached her, she said, “I’m taking you babysitting next time.”

 Chat grinned. He grabbed her by the hand and sprinted out the museum. Ladybug seemed to understand Chat’s plan without discussing it, including the part where they climbed up the nearest roof and she gripped his waist. “I’ll take you up on that babysitting offer. I’d love to practice raising kittens with you, My Lady.” Chat grabbed Ladybug’s hand and they ran. She would transform back any moment now, but without using his cataclysm, he had earned much more time than she. “So my plan is to go to the café where Father expects us to go to dinner.”

 “Really? You don’t want to try and stay out of his spotlight?”

 Chat grinned into the chilly Paris night, October air catching between his teeth. “I like the idea of being seen with you.” He looked over and felt his heart thump at the way Ladybug blushed. “Also, the gorilla will be looking for us for awhile back at the museum. This way, we get to be alone...but when he finds us, we can play dumb, like we were trying to follow the rules all along.”

 “That’s very sneaky,” Ladybug said. 

 When they landed and continued running, Chat replied. “I’m very- oh!” Ladybug’s last dot disappeared. There was no way Marinette could run as fast or jump as far as Ladybug. Her mask faded first, and immediately, Chat pulled her hand in close, spinning her to his front and swooping her up bridal style. By the time she was in his arms, she only had Ladybug hands and feet, which quickly transformed back into Marinette’s soft, beautiful features. Chat Noir smiled down at her. “Hey, you. I missed you.”

 “You missed me?” Marinette laughed. She held on tight to Chat’s neck as he ran for the both of them. Marinette’s dress slapped noisily in the wind and her hair flew up into Chat’s mouth. Marinette laughed at the scene. “Are you _sure_ you missed me?”

 “Okay- spth- I understand the appeal- pbthpbth- of the pigtails now.” He listened to her pealing laughter. “You’re going to give me a hairball!” Chat said. 

 “Do you actually get those, Chaton?”

 “Not before tonight- spthspth- I haven’t.” 

 She laughed again. Marinette pulled a hand away from Chat’s neck and brushed her hair into her jacket’s collar. “Better, mon cher?”

 “Oh, much,” Chat replied. “As I was saying, I’m very practiced at slipping away from my Dad’s employees and making everything all okay.”

 They were now almost to the café. Chat slowed down the pace and set Marinette onto her feet. She brushed out her dress and ran her fingers through her hair. “How do I look?” Marinette asked. 

 “You look pawsitvely meowvilous, Princess,” Chat gushed. “I certainly can’t tell you kicked the snot out of a little girl and got carried across the rooftops of Paris.”

 Marinette blushed bright red. She was even stunning when she blushed. “Are you just saying that because you have a crush on me?”

 “I’m saying that..” Chat stepped closer, putting one hand on both of her upper arms, “because it’s true. _And_ because I have a crush on you.”

 Marinette giggled nearly uncontrollably. She leaned her body into his touch, then reached up and scratched under his chin. “Oh, before we go down, I should check on Tikki.”

 Marinette turned so she could stay in Chat Noir’s arms and open her black clutch. Surprising both of them, Tikki immediately flew out. “I’m just fine, Marinette. Adrien. It’s been a wonderful evening,” she said with a wistful sigh. “It’s like living through a romcom. You two are as sweet as all the chocolate I’ve gotten tonight. And by the way- I left a few extra in the purse and used them to recharge after today’s battle. That’s why I was already good to go!” Tikki flew up to Marinette and hugged her face. “Thank you for taking me with you on your date to the Chocolate Museum. It was delicious and brought back so many good memories.”

 “Oh, don’t thank me. It was Adrien’s idea. We had talked about bringing you months ago.”

 “Adrien!” Tikki chirped. She flew over to him and threw her tiny body against his cheek in a hug. It was very odd- he didn’t think Plagg had ever showed emotion _that_ way before. “You’re so thoughtful!”

 “Aw, thanks, Tikki. You’re so nice to me and Marinette. And you defend me to my kwami! I’m glad you could join.” He held out a hand out for her and scratched her dot, just like he scratched Plagg’s ears. Tikki laughed. “I think we should head down to the café, though. Do you mind waiting in Marinette’s purse again?”

 “Done and done. Good luck with the rest of your date!” Tikki disappeared. Chat smiled and spun his baton, marching it to the edge of the roof. “Shall we, My Lady?” He extended the baton down to the street and put a hand out for Marinette. 

 She took the gesture a step farther, stepping into his embrace and putting her hands on his shoulders. He wrapped the hand around her waist and the two rode the baton to the alleyway. Chat Noir dropped his transformation and Adrien, after straightening his tie and fussing with his hair, found himself in a charming but utterly deserted alleyway. The windows shutters were all closed, little plants in boxes in front of them, with a cobblestone streets narrow enough that only one car could pass through- if that. The café was less than a block away. 

 Adrien took Marinette’s hand again. Marinette once again stepped up the offer, stepping directly in front and putting her hands on his shoulders. He didn’t know if she could hear his heart, but it was beating harder than it ever had fighting Gourmonstre. He could see her bite her lip (it was hard not to stare at her beautiful red lips) and see her swallow nervously. At least he wasn’t alone in his nerves. 

 “I missed your eyes,” she said softly, touching where his mask had been. “I love Chat’s eyes too, but I missed these ones.”

 Honestly, Adrien didn’t know what to say. His heart was in his throat, his stomach was in knots, and his blood was all rushing below that. “M-Marinette...can I kiss you?”

 Marinette didn’t answer. Instead, she launched herself onto her tip toes and tightened her grip on his shoulders, propelling her lips to meet his. Immediately, Adrien cradled her back to hold her there. He didn’t want her to ever leave this kiss. This kiss felt like a thousand stars, like a warm wind, like home. 

 Slightly, ever so slightly, he parted his lips. Hers settled between his, moving just enough to continue the amazing sensation. And then they broke apart. Adrien looked into Marinette’s eyes, squinting from smiling so wide. 

 “Oh, my god, I just kissed you!” Marinette squealed. “And you kissed me back!”

 “And I’m going to kiss you again,” Adrien growled, smiling. He leaned down and pulled her tight, his second hand resting on the back of Marinette’s neck. As chaste as these kisses were, they definitely didn’t meet Gabriel’s limitations. Adrien was absolutely okay with that. He now knew that Marinette’s lips tasted like the chocolate from the museum, were warm and soft, and fit his lips so perfectly that he never wanted to stop kissing her.

 

—-

 Eventually though, they did stop. Marinette and Adrien stepped out of the alley hand in hand with matching grins and walked to the café. Adrien understood what the expression “butterflies in my stomach” meant, as it felt like his stomach was both empty and simultaneously filled with tiny fluttering things, carrying him to their destination. 

 The table had already been reserved, albeit for three, so Marinette and Adrien sat down immediately. Unfortunately, it seemed like their orders had also already been reserved, as the waiter brought out two chicken walnut salads, light on the chicken and the walnuts. Adrien had to order a small cheese plate (mostly for Plagg, a little for himself) and knew his Father would not approve. But nothing could bring Adrien down right now. He and a Marinette talked and laughed through their meal, holding hands across the table the entire time. They discussed the fight in the third person, delighting that Ladybug and Chat Noir were already there (how convenient) and that Chat Noir wasn’t struck by the akuma’s weapon for once. Adrien claimed that was because of his lucky ladybug. They talked more about friends, about Paris, and about everything else that flowed naturally. And they talked about their plan for the rest of the evening- how _eventually_ someone would recognize Adrien, post a picture online, and The Gorilla would turn up minutes later. 

 “You know what...I bet that’s how Alya gets to Ladybug and Chat Noir so fast. She must track their internet pings.”

 “Or maybe she does what we do, and tracks disaster apps. Like an ambulance chaser. You should ask! Maybe we could learn something!”

 “I have asked, mon cher. She claims it’s because of her ‘innate journalistic intuition,” Marinette said with air quotes. 

 “Maybe it’s a miraculous ability,” Adrien joked. He took a forkful of salad and noticed Marinette wasn’t responding. “I’m kidding, Princess. If that’s a miraculous ability, I want it.”

 “That won’t do you any good. Without a miraculous suit, I mean,” Marinette finally replied. She took another bite of salad, then said, “Do you wish you were going somewhere over the Toussaint holiday?”

 “Not really. Not this time. I like being here for Paris. Why, do you?”

 “If I didn’t have responsibilities here, I would love to travel more,” Marinette admitted. “See more of France, Europe...the world.”

 “You mentioned Brittany before. Is that where you would go?”

 “That’s on my list!” Marinette agreed. “You know what would really be amazing? If we could go on tour to where all the Ladybugs in the past have been.” She looked over Adrien’s head dreamily. “I think we would learn so much. I wonder if there _was_ a Breton Ladybug. Or any Breton miraculous! Back in the Celtic days, maybe.”

 “You’re incredible, Marinette.” Adrien sighed. “Most kids want to explore just to go to the beach or to see famous buildings. You want to research!”

 “It would be really cool research,” Marinette said. Adrien had to agree. “I would want to go with you, of course! And my other Lemonade friend, the very very short one, could be our tour guide.”

 “That would be amazing. We should do it.”

 Marinette grinned. “One day. Right?”

 Adrien squeezed her hand. “Yes. I promise.” He leaned over the table. Marinette got the hint and leaned over as well, gently meeting his lips in a gentle peck that was definitely Agreste Approved. By Adrien’s count, it was their seventh kiss and they still were giving him goosebumps. “I know China, for sure. That was in my dad’s book. And Mexico, Egypt…”

 “Orleans, for sure. The Amazon Rainforest.”

 “Ooh, I’ve never been there!”

 “Me either!” Marinette laughed. “Actually, I haven’t been to _any_ of those places. There are more I’m sure, but I don’t know where they’re from.”

 “Any from Morocco?”

 “Maybe!” Marinette said with a shrug. “Why there? Are you thinking about Nino?”

 “Actually, I wasn’t. Chloé is in Morocco for the holiday. I could convince her to do research if it’s for Ladybug. I don’t know if she would want to spend her resort days like that, but it could be worth a try.”

 “Chloé is in _Morocco_?” Marinette shook her head. “I know they have a lot of French resorts there. But I just can’t imagine her in the heat, and sand, and dealing with all the camels.”

 Adrien laughed. “Oh, she’s trying. They arrived today and she already has a Snap Story of nothing but sun tanning selfies.”

 “I’ll have to learn how to befriend her,” Marinette grumbled. “She’s part of your package deal too, isn’t she?”

 “She is. You know, now would be a great time to get to know her.”

 “While she’s out of the continent?”

 Adrien laughed again. “Actually, yes. Chloé is much easier to talk to when she’s happy, on vacation, and surrounded by like-minded people.”

 “That’s good to know. Let’s keep her in another continent and she and I can become best friends.” Marinette smiled to let Adrien know she was joking. Maybe? But she did continue, “but honestly, I want to spend this break getting to know us a little better. I’m so glad we get the chance to be here together for two weeks.”

 “Me too, Cookie,” Adrien relied softly. 

 “I really…” Marinette cleared her throat, looking down at her plate. “I really want this to work. I want us to be good for each other, and still be good for Paris.”

 Adrien looked at the top of her head, assuming she was hiding a blush. His fingers crawled across the table and tangled with hers. “Are you telling me or your salad?”

 She looked up, certainly blushing, and whispered, “You.”

 He squeezed and smiled softly at her. “I really want this to work, too. And I want everyone to know how well it works.” He chuckled. “I’m so used to the public caring about things I _don’t_ care about. But this? You and me? I want them to know.”

  He heard a car door slam behind them and turned around. There was his bodyguard, finally approaching. And he was _mad_. Adrien leaned forward to Marinette. “Here we go…” then stood up and walked to the bodyguard. Marinette followed a few steps behind. “Hey….man….You found us! We were waiting for you!”

 The gorilla grumbled. 

 “Look, I won’t tell Father we got separated if you don’t. All of us are okay, right? Marinette and I got to safety, we came right to our next rendezvous point...everything worked out!”

 The bodyguard lifted his phone, showing a tweet that read “OH LÀ LÀ, l’amour de la jeunesse![4] #starstruck #AdrienAgreste #mysterygirl #tropmignon[5]”. Below the tweet was a picture of Adrien and Marinette leaning over the table to kiss lightly on the lips. Adrien was honestly very proud of himself; except for the amateur photography, it looked staged. 

 Then the bodyguard scrolled down with a growl. There were more pictures of them talking and laughing at the café, one of him feeding Marinette a bite of his salad, and one of him pulling out her chair. 

 “Okay, so we’ve been here awhile. But…”

 Growling, the bodyguard slapped a fifty euro note on the table and pointed at the car and its open backseat. The two teenagers walked to the car, heads hung low. Adrien climbed in first again and buckled up. The clock inside the car read 7:48 pm. Logistically, they still had time to eat dessert before dropping off Marinette and making Adrien’s curfew. But from the way the entire car rocked when the Gorilla slammed their door shut, Adrien knew it was no use asking. He was furious. 

 Driving down the first two blocks, the entire car was silent. Then Adrien had the gall to ask, “Monsieur, could you raise the partition?” In response, he looked into the rearview mirror and growled, fists turning white on the steering wheel. Adrien sunk back into his seat. “So that’s a no…” he muttered. 

 He caught Marinette’s eye, trying to send her an apologetic glance. She bit her lip and furrowed her brow, then turned to face forward. “Monsieur, I must thank you. It’s thanks to you we made it out of that attack alive.”

 Both Adrien and the Gorilla looked at her in surprise. Yes, technically, they used him like a shield to survive the evil chocolate shards. But surely that wasn’t what she meant. 

 Marinette continued. “Adrien has told me so much about you. How often you protect him, how much you love him, and how good you are at your job. Tonight after you were turned into chocolate, I didn’t know what to do! We were so scared. But Adrien…he was _such_ a hero, Monsieur.” She paused. Adrien glanced back at the Gorilla, whose grip had loosened slightly. He was listening. “Adrien said to me, ‘he would want us to get to safety. He would want us to get as far from here as possible, so we stay safe.’” Marinette glanced at Adrien and tilted her head just slightly, saying, ‘you go’.

 Adrien sat up again. “She’s right, Monsieur. I’ve learned a lot from you. I know I’m not big and strong, but you’ve taught me how to escape a panicking crowd. So we ran out of the building. And then...then I said…no, then _Marinette_ said, ‘what would he do next? Where should we go?’ And I remembered you always choose our rendezvous spots. Father knows our date schedule, and so did you, so I said we should meet at the café. Where you could find us safely!”

 The Gorilla had a single upturned corner of his mouth, but he quickly fought it back down. Gulping, Marinette jumped back in. “Yes. And I was really nervous still. Very shaken up by the attack. So Adrien was such a gentleman. He walked-“ she caught Adrien’s tiniest of head shakes and corrected herself. “He walked us to the corner and called a taxi to take us to the café. He held my hand the whole time to make sure I was safe and kept saying, ‘My bodyguard will find us. He will be here soon. We will be okay.’ And look, we are okay! You found us. Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the museum, we never got hurt, and we aren’t even going to be late for curfew.”

 She swallowed again. The bodyguard stayed quiet- like always. They approached a red light and Marinette spoke once more, her voice soft and kind. “It must be so hard, Monsieur.” He looked at her, confused again. “I mean that your job is to protect Adrien. It must be hard and scary when you get attacked first. You’re doing your job, jumping in between the weapon and your loved one,” Marinette looked at Adrien. She could see in her swimming eyes that she meant more than just the bodyguard. She meant Chat, too. She squeezed Adrien’s hand, but looked back at the mirror.  “But then you can’t keep protecting her. Him! You can’t keep protecting him. And he needs you. But Monsieur, I can tell that even though your job is hard, you do it well. Because you taught him how to protect _me_ and how to get us to a safe place. He trusts you, Monsieur. And we are both so sorry we scared you tonight.”

 The car went silent again. The light turned green and they drove forward, still in silence. But now, the Gorilla was almost smiling. Adrien beamed at Marinette. Every time he thought he knew every amazing thing she could do, she added one more quality to that list. He needed a second alphabet to fit them all. 

 With a quiet hum, the partition raised. 

 Once it touched the top of the ceiling, Adrien turned to Marinette. “You did it! You genius, amazing girl, you did it!” He immediately went for their eighth kiss, then ninth, then tenth. Then Marinette exploded into a contagious fit of giggles. 

 When the two stopped giggling, it was only by their eleventh kiss- the longest one yet. This one also left Adrien with his hair standing on end in delight. 

 Adrien exhaled. Marinette cuddled against his chest. He kissed her hair softly. “How do you think our trial date was, mon Cookie?”

 Marinette sighed long and loud. She looked up at Adrien with a dreamy smile. “What do you think, mon cher?”

 “Honestly, I’m sad it didn’t go as planned. Without chaperones, without akumas...I had hoped it would be just you and me.”

 “Oh, Adrien. That’s sweet, but that’s unrealistic. Tonight was a perfect sampler of all the best and worst things about dating each other. I wanted to try this out so we could see how it would work- me dating a celebrity, you dating a lowly civilian, Ladybug and Chat Noir...you know. It’s our life. It will probably always be our life, and it wouldn’t be a fair test without seeing how we deal with those stresses.”

 “You’re so mature,” Adrien said into her hair. He tickled her waist, making Marinette giggle and shriek. He laughed too, especially when she tickled him back. The seatbelts yanked against their bodies as they squirmed around. Eventually, Adrien’s seatbelt reacted to his attempts at dodging by holding him tight against the seat back. They laughed slower, calming down and resetting the belts. 

 Marinette was sitting in her own spot now, but facing Adrien with a slightly nervous smile. “So...can you answer my question now? What did you think of this trial run?”

 “I think I’d be interested in extending my subscription for sure.” He winked at her and leaned in for an amazing but fast twelfth kiss. 

 With faces so close Adrien could feel Marinette’s sweet, cool breath, she said, “Adrien…would you be my boyfriend?”

 It wasn’t really a surprise. Considering everything, the date and their chemistry couldn’t have been better. So he leaned in just a few more inches for another kiss. “Yes, Marinette,” he breathed against her lips. They split into a smile, as did his, and he pressed their smiles together and repeated himself. “Yes, Marinette. I will be your boyfriend if you will be my girlfriend.”

 She leaned her head onto his shoulder, squealing in delight. They spent a good ninety seconds wordlessly, just smiling and kissing shoulders, hair, cheeks, and lips. Then Marinette suddenly pulled away. 

 “I’m your girlfriend. And that’s public. I mean, that tweet The Gorilla showed us was already almost viral. But...that means Ladybug can’t...not right now.”

 Adrien’s heart sank. He had been dreaming of dating as Chat Noir and Ladybug since the first meeting. “What? Why not?”

 “If you and I...and then the _same day_ they...that’s going to be dead give away.”

 “Oh, but cookie…”

 “I’m not saying forever, mon amour,” Marinette promised, grabbing his hand. And maybe it was the upgrade from _my dear_ to _my love_ , but Adrien was suddenly much more ready to listen. “Just enough time to make it...not obvious. The most important thing is keeping us safe and our identities secret.”

 Adrien sighed. He realized he would do anything to make Marinette- his _girlfriend!!!_ \- happy. “Okay, ma chèrie. I trust you, I love you…” Marinette blushed, “I’m your boyfriend…” her blush deepened, “I’ll wait. I am happy enough that _we_ don’t have to be a secret.”

 “Oh, god, I know. I’m so over secrets. And you did promise me that if I date you, I wouldn’t have to keep secrets.”

 “Now now, I said if _Ladybug_ dated me she wouldn’t have to keep secrets.”

 “Ohhh!!!” Marinette picked up her black purse and started whacking Adrien with it. He laughed, his arm up for protection. “You awful pest! You smelly cat!”

 He grabbed the purse and set it down. “I’m _your_ smelly cat, though. You just barely agreed to it. You’re stuck with me for the Agreste of your life.”

 “You didn’t propose, Adrien!” Marinette laughed. 

  _Not yet_ , Adrien thought. “No, but the pun works best like that.”

 The car came to a stop and Adrien could have sworn the drive was faster than normal. “Do you have to go home?” He asked quietly. 

 “I don’t want to, either,” she whispered back. “It’s...an investment. Showing our parents we can be responsible.”

 “I don’t like being responsible,” Adrien whined. He held her hand tighter. “I have a girlfriend now.”  That had nothing to do with being responsible. Adrien just wanted to say it again. 

 The door opened and street lights flooded the car. “I’ll call you tonight. But- oh, shoot. Alya is sleeping over.”

 Adrien put on his best kitten eyes as they both climbed out of the car. “Can you still call?”

 Marinette giggled and flicked his nose. “Yes, I can. Honestly, she would love eavesdropping.” Marinette turned to look at the boulangerie-patisserie door they approached. “She probably already is.”

 The bodyguard was watching from the car, as Adrien was very aware. He had reached her doorstep and held both her hands tight. Even without ever going on a date, Adrien knew what was supposed to happen. He looked over at The Gorilla and made a pleading face. 

 The bodyguard blinked, then slowly turned his head to look at the Seine. Adrien grinned. He was so, so grateful for their chaperone. He leaned in quickly and held Marinette close, kissing her like it was their first time again. She was on her tiptoes, he had an arm on her waist and a hand on her neck, her hands were sitting on his hips. And the kiss felt almost as magical as that first time, too. Even though it was number...oh, he’d officially lost count. 

 “Goodnight, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

 “Goodnight, Adrien Agreste.”

 She opened the door, they both pretended not to hear the scamper of feet running away, and the door swung shut behind her. Adrien stood stock still on the doorstep, just breathing. _This really happened._

 Double squeals of teenage girl delight on the other side of the door shook him. Adrien grinned to himself. He looked over at his bodyguard who offered a smile and thumbs up. Adrien returned the sign. He got into the car and sighed again, head against the back of the seat. 

 This really, really happened. He reached into his pocket and pulled out both Plagg and his Marinette lucky charm. “I don’t know which of you to thank-“

 “Me, obviously. That _thing_ is plastic.”

 “But...thank you.”

 Plagg smiled. He flew to Adrien’s cheek- maybe he had seen Tikki’s hug. But instead of hugging it, Plagg pressed his face and body against the cheek, scenting back and forth like a real cat. “I’m very happy for you, kid. Aren’t you glad I’m always right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1Gourmonstre: A blend of "Gourmand" and "Monstre", which mean "One who loves to eat" (or 'a glutton') and "Monster" respectively. You can tell the mix isn't with "Gourmet" (one who loves quality food) because 'Gourmand' sounds like "Goor-mond", sounding more like "monster" than "gourmet" (goor-may).  
> 2Nounours: Teddybear. Comes from "ours", which is "bear", but said in a much cuter, child-like way.  
> 3Mesdames: "Ladies." Remember how "Madame" means "Lady", or "Mrs"? Madame is actually two words together: "Ma Dame", which is "My lady". To make this plural, you would pluralize "ma" into "mes" and "dame" into "dames". SUPER COOL! It happens with monsieur, too (messieurs)  
> 4 L'amour de la jeunesse!: "Young love!"  
> 5#tropmignon: #toocute (too cute). Just like in English, it's not good grammar for the French to use "too" when they really mean "very". But, just like in English, it's become very common slang to do so, especially when you're describing how cute something is. Oh! Also, they like to slip in English, especially for expressions with American origin, like "star struck" (and also it's easier to track a tag like #mysterygirl). It's ~really cool~ to know English and drop in it randomly, so this random tweeter is doing that.


	6. The Application

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo man if you thought trash-dad Gabe was a trash-dad last chapter.....!!!!
> 
> Also, fair warning, this chapter is definitely T. We get some discussion of making out (and more) right at the start and then read a small portion of it right at the end. Heads up if that makes you uncomfortable!

 The next Tuesday in the late morning, Marinette found herself at the zoo with Alya. They had of course had a sleepover Saturday night after her date, but Sunday was spent entirely with Adrien (and later on, more of her boyfriend as Chat Noir. And okay, it _still_ felt weird to even think that Chat Noir was her boyfriend...and Chat Noir was Adrien...and Adrien was her boyfriend...and it might be years before it all processed for her). Monday she spent most of the day helping her parents and designing a new dress, then after she’d ‘gone to bed’, Ladybug visited Adrien again. This time, Plagg had finally got to play his video game and even taught Tikki how to play. Overall, since she became Adrien’s girlfriend, Marinette hadn’t really talked to her female best friend at all. 

 Alya was determined to fix that. She strolled along the path, arm-in-arm with Marinette, guiding Marinette down the familiar paths and through throngs of visitors. “So tell me...how has it _been_? Dating Adrien?”

 “It’s only _been_ three days,” Marinette replied. She was smiling from ear to ear. 

 “And how have those three days _been?”_ Alya asked, ribbing Marinette. She saw her best friend’s wide smile split into a grin as she ducked her head. “That good, huh?”

 Marinette tightened her grip on Alya, leaning in close. “ _That good_. Better than I ever imagined. ” She sighed. She had never imagined dating Adrien would also mean sharing Ladybug with him or dating Chat Noir at the same time. For once, she felt like she had no secrets! 

 “And how’s the kissing been? Better than with Luka? Worse?”

 Marinette pursed her lips in thought. “Mmm...different. Adrien is obviously less experienced.”

 “What, so like...sloppy? Drooly?”

 Laughing, Marinette shook her head. “Ew, no. A little more...uh...unsure of himself I guess? But you know what? I kind of like it.” She caught Alya’s eye, one eyebrow raised and a head tilted in uncertainty. “No, really. Luka was a great kisser, but...do you want the details?”

 “Always, girl!”

 “Okay,” Marinette laughed. “Luka knew what he wanted to do and how to do it. You know we didn’t kiss that, euh, _exotically_ , but within my limitations, he had his set patterns. So he was never receptive when I wanted to try things, or kiss differently. It was _his_ expertise. Adrien however...he and I can both explore how to kiss each other. We can kiss slow, or quick pecks...and he lets me kind of run it most of the time. I really like that. We’re teammates, but he follows my lead.”

 “So what I’m getting is Adrien’s your bitch.”

 “What?!”

 Alya laughed. “He’s a submissive, bottom bitch!” A mother glared at her, covering her little child’s ears and hurrying past the two teenagers and the meerkat exhibit. “And you’re going to end up a kinky, coquine[1], dominating top.”

 “Alya, how did you get any of that?!” Marinette squealed. 

 “But you’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”

 Flame red, Marinette said, “shut up!” 

 “You _are_ thinking about it!”

 Marinette sputtered out, “we haven’t even made out yet.”

 “Ah, you’re still new, you still have time for that,” Alya said, patting her shoulder. “I won’t push you.”

 “Please don’t. That would be weird, since you’re not even in the relationship.”

 “I know, which is why we’re here today! I refuse to lose you to a man. Even if it is that one big fish you’ve been pining for forever.”

 “You’ll never lose me, Alya,” Marinette said, throwing her arms around Alya and giving her an enormous hug. “I love you. I wouldn’t make it through life without you.”

 Alya hugged Marinette back. “I love you too, girl. You’re stuck with me. You just have to realize that also means you’re stuck with my intrusive questions! It’s the least you can do after making me listen to you whine about him for years on end.”

 “You use that excuse as to why I have to hear about you and Nino and your ‘explorations’.” The two friends moved from the meerkat exhibit down the path towards the giraffes as Marinette glared. “You can’t double-dip.”

 Alya laughed and laughed. “Girl, you’re going to start being a lot less horrified at our stories now that you’re gonna have your own.” She elbowed Marinette in the side. “Especially considering how steamy your first kisses were. And already saying ‘I love you’? C’est vite, ça!”[2]

 “We’re just being honest,” Marinette said, blushing. “We’ve _been_ in love, we just didn’t know it was mutual.”

 Alya thumbed her chin, saying “Nino and I told you so! A few times, I’m pretty sure. So it’s just been sunshine and roses so far?”

 “There has been some odd stuff. Not with _Adrien_ specifically, but... I was at his house on Sunday, right? And before I left, Nathalie handed me this…” Marinette scrambled through her purse, pulling out her phone. She scanned through the pictures until she got to Sunday’s and a photograph of a letter on top of a manila envelope. Marinette sat down on the bench in front of the Giraffe exhibit and beckoned Alya over.  “I took a pic so I could remember to work on it. Listen:

 “ _To Mademoiselle Marinette Dupain-Cheng_

  _In relation to the potential public romantic relationship between Mlle Dupain-Cheng and M. Adrien Agreste:_

  _Thank you for expressing interest in a potential relationship with my son. You come highly recommended by M. Adrien Agreste as someone who can provide our company with a charming narrative and a fresh new face for publicity.”_

 “Wait...is this a job application?” Alya asked.  “‘Thank you for expressing interest in a potential relationship…’ can he _fire_ you? Are you applying to work for him?”

 “Keep listening,” Marinette insisted. She cleared her throat and returned to reading.

  _“Before the House of Agreste can approve of this relationship and design the publicity it will inspire, we must first confirm that you have the merit Adrien insists that you have. Additionally, I must confirm that you are a worthwhile person for public interest to pursue that would not inspire an inquiry or create any controversy.”_

 “Woah; what the hell?!” Alya asked. Her eyes were wide as she read over Marinette’s shoulder. 

 “Just wait- it gets even more intense.”

  _Enclosed, you will find the following forms:_

  *   _Instructions for submitting a portfolio of design work_
  * _A set of design samples that require your written critiques_
  * _A headshot and headshots of your parents_
  * _A personal history form_
  * _A medical history form_
  * _A career aptitude test_
  * _A questionnaire based on your likes and dislikes_
  * _A questionnaire based on appropriate relationship behavior_
  * _A contact form_
  * _A referral form (to be filled out by your parent(s))_
  * _A personal statement_



  _There will also be an inspection into your suitability as a romantic partner for my son and whether you are a party who can make him happy and keep each other safe._

  _In the situation that your relationship is still intact, please return this envelope and all completed materials to myself, Gabriel Agreste, no later or earlier than October 27th. You will have a response within five business days from this time._

  _You are under strict instructions not to claim labels such as “in a relationship”, “boyfriend and girlfriend”, “loved one”, etc until after this response is received._

  _We at the House of Agreste look forward to a potential partnership,_

  _Gabriel Agreste_

_ CEO -  _ _ Gabriel Fashion Industries _

_ House of Agreste _

_ Father to Adrien Agreste, child in question” _

 Alya was silent. Then she exclaimed, “ _Putain [3]_, Marinette! Are you getting a boyfriend or a new country? I think there are less forms to become a citizen!”

 “I know!” Marinette exclaimed. She stood up and led Alya farther down the path, past the giraffes and towards the other Savannah animals as they talked. “When Adrien saw, he was absolutely furious. He ranted and ranted about his father and how he should just let us do this because we obviously thought it through already. When he finally calmed down, we talked about it a little more and agreed that maybe this is his dad’s way of taking us seriously.”

 “I’d say. Medical history? Career aptitude test? I think you two are supposed to skip lycée romance and just go straight to marriage.”

 “Only if I pass the application,” Marinette replied. “My parents are helping me with it. Maman was really mad at first- she almost called to yell at them. But Papa convinced her that wouldn’t reflect well on me.”

 Continuing through the savannah portion of the zoo, Alya and Marinette both cringed when an elephant trumpeted near them. They laughed at each other’s faces and turned to look at the big bull elephant, swinging his trunk. 

 “He’s like your mom, yelling at Monsieur Agreste!” Alya laughed. “So you’re definitely turning it in? The 27th- that’s this Saturday, right?”

 “Yep. Exactly a week after our first date. Adrien and I are already official with each other and amongst friends, so I think I’m just not supposed to...tell the press?”

 Alya looked affronted. She put her hand to her chest and said, “but you already _have!_ I’m the press, too!”

 “I’m not worried about you printing news about us. We’re not the couple you care about,” Marinette said, smiling. 

 “Professionally, not really. Announcing _that_ relationship will be my pièce de résistance...yours is no professional boon. But personally? Girl, I’ve been waiting for this day since my first day at College François-DuPont.”

 “I didn’t even like him on the first day!”

 Alya tapped her nose. “I have innate journalistic intuition.” And then the girl with “innate journalistic intuition” ran directly into a primary school boy, nearly knocking them both over. “Hey! Watch it, dude!” 

 The little boy stood up, his smaller friend looking at Alya with terror in his eyes. They mumbled apologies and finished running across the path to a mother waiting nearby. Alya shook her head. “It’s so _crowded_ today. I hate it when Dad’s zoo gets this crowded.”

 Sarcastically, Marinette said, “I know, it’s like every school in Paris is out for the same holiday break or something.”[4]

 Alya nudged Marinette so hard, she almost fell into a few other visiting kids. “Smartass.”

 Marinette laughed. The two continued visiting animals, Alya telling stories about her dad’s favorite animals and their crazy anecdotes, sprinkled with more stories about the first three days of Marinette’s new relationship. Frequently, Alya would remind Marinette how lucky she was to start a relationship right at a school break. “You get to spend so much time together! It really is the honeymoon stage and it’s not like you can focus on school when it’s all so new.”

 “I’m very glad,” Marinette agreed. “We’re lucky neither of us is going on vacation, too.”

 “Ugh, don’t rub it in,” Alya whined. “Nino’s family is going to visit relatives for Toussaint. He’s leaving first thing in the morning on Toussaint and not getting back until Sunday before school.”

 “Which family? In Morocco?”

 “Oh, no, not that far. The family in Reims.”

 “Good- I would hate for him to leave the country and still run into Chloé.”

 “Chloé? Why? Is she in Morocco?”

 They’d now entered the reptile house, hot and steamy. Much, much more humid than the country they spoke of. After they pushed their way to the chameleons, Marinette said, “Yes, Chloé’s in Morocco for the holiday. She’s been texting Adrien, of course.”

 Alya got a wicked grin and grabbed Marinette’s wrist. “Wait. Does she know? Do we have video recording of the moment she found out? Is her head still on her shoulders, or did it blow right off?”

 “Yes, no, and presumably. Adrien told her Sunday when I was at his house. She called him in a rage...insisting it was a joke, that he was so much better than me, that her daddy would never allow this...when he said I was in the room and could hear, she said she didn’t care.”

 “That’s _awful!_ ” Alya said- but she was grinning like a madwoman. “She’s so pissed!”

 “You bet,” Marinette agreed, smiling ever so slightly. “If I’m honest with you, I love beating her to Adrien. But you can’t tell him that; he’s determined we become friends.”

 “Friends? With Satan la salope?”[5]

 “Oh, don’t exaggerate. You had a perfectly good project with her.”

 Alya scoffed. She put her hands up and shook her head. “Now look. You sealed the deal on your _boyfriend_ through that lucky charm project. I managed to not rip off Chloé’s head. Compared to yours, ours was a civil war.”

 “That’s fair,” Marinette laughed. “I’m not sure Chloé and I will ever be as close as Adrien wants us to be. Especially now that she’s convinced _I’m_ the salope who stole her man. She didn’t even text him for 24 hours after he told her. I think she was trying to punish him…? Because she texted a sunglasses selfie with her and some other girl at the 24 hour mark.”

 “It’s a _reward_ not to get selfies from her. Hasn’t she learned that yet?”

 The girls giggled. They made faces at some of the reptiles, then pushed their way through the crowd and blinked at the sun when they left the dark house. They continued down the path and took the fork towards the panther, Otis Césaire’s pride and joy. Alya spoke up again during the patch without animals, just informational signs. “So do you know what you’re including in your portfolio?”

 “Mostly. The recommendations asked for 12 items with at least 3 complete looks with photographs, 4 accessories, one concept look designed for each season, and the rest were up to me. I want to go above and beyond, of course. Yesterday I was working on one of my dresses I want to include...let me show you…” She pulled her phone out again, showing Alya a photo of a mostly-constructed but still unfinished dress on a mannequin. It was a white mermaid dress with red embellishments along the bottom, a silver bodice, and red and white striped thick neckline. “It’s actually inspired by Gabriel Agreste’s signature look.”

 “You know, I've never seen Gabriel Agreste in person...but this looks awesome! Is it sized to fit you?”

 “This one is. Just because that’s my dress form’s size...I don’t think I’d wear it. I’m planning on finishing it tonight, since I just have some trimming and hemming to do. I want to design something else to fit Mylène, so I can show that I can design for different body types. She already said yes. I mean, she gets a free dress out of it!”

 “Are you including my purse?” Alya lifted up her Ladybug mask purse that Marinette had made for her birthday just a few months earlier. The gold chain tinkled as Alya moved it back and forth. “Or...ooh, actually, you should include Chat’s! That post went viral!” She dropped the bag and it fell to her hip again. Alya found the post in less than forty seconds, truly adept at her phone and her Ladyblog.

 The post had featured in late September, when Marinette had finished making three nearly identical copies to Alya’s purse, except that the gold chain was swapped out for a black belt similar to Chat Noir’s tail. Alya had originally gotten the idea from Chat Noir complementing her original bag, and Marinette had pounced at the chance to see Chat Noir again outside of her Ladybug life. Alya had posted a picture of the modified bag on the Ladyblog along with a simple contest- every resident of France who commented would be entered in a drawing. Then a little while later, Chat Noir could come pick up his purse and announce the names of the two other handbag winners.

 Alya’s viral post included an entire photoshoot of Chat Noir modelling the handbag. He was only asked to take one picture of himself holding it, then a video saying the winners’ names. And yet, Chat Noir had taken to the camera like he was born for it. Marinette looked at the old pictures with new eyes and couldn’t hold back her laughter. _Of course_ Adrien would know how to work the camera, how to model an accessory, how to work the garment. It was his job! And yet, after years of staring at Adrien’s photo shoots, Chat Noir’s attempts at modelling still looked nothing like Adrien’s. His poses were a little more exaggerated, some (like the one with the bag covering his own mask) a little sillier, his smiles a little more legitimate. Of course, Adrien also didn’t pose like a cat licking its paw, batting its ears, or pouncing. But this was undeniably her dork of a boyfriend, working the runway.

 “You should _definitely_ include some of these pictures. I bet Gabriel would be really, really interested to know you have a professional and personal relationship with Chat Noir and Ladybug.”

 Marinette finally agreed, choosing a few and emailing them to herself from Alya’s phone. And maybe she chose a few extra, like the steamy, sensual poses Chat peppered throughout the silly ones, but it wasn’t like Alya would care. Even Alya could admit that Chat Noir has One Fine Ass under his tail, all covered in skin-tight leather, over those toned legs of Adrien’s, clenching whenever he got ready to pounce, so tight you could bounce a centime off of it, and those-

 “Hey girl, before I forget. Can you help me plan a Halloween party next week?”

 Marinette jerked out of her fantasy. She had practically bit a hole through her lip and nearly did when she jumped. 

 “Woah, there! Did I scare you?”

 “No, of course not. What did you say? A Halloween party?” Marinette asked, quickly exiting the browser on Alya’s phone and stuffing it back in her friend’s hand. “How exotic!” [6]

 “Yeah! I want to have a big party with all our friends. Since Nino’s leaving the next morning for Toussaint, I figured Halloween would be a great chance. Maman’s making all this good American food. Hot Dogs...Hamburgers...Potato chips...Milkshakes….Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches...We’re going to have candy and everyone is dressing up in a costume. Just like the movies!”

 “What do you need help with?”

 “Decorations, mainly. You are great with that. I want to make my house real spooky. Nino is making a playlist. Witches, ghosts, that kind of thing. We’ll even buy pumpkins and carve them.”

 “I’ve never done that before!” Marinette said excitedly. “Wow. A real pumpkin carving.”

 “Jack-o-Lanterns!” Alya said with jazz-hands. The two dissolved into laughter. 

 “I would love to help you. When is it?”

 “Halloween, duh. Next Wednesday.”

 “Can I bring Adrien?”

 “Would I ever say ‘no’?”

 —-

 That night on top of a rooftop in the 12th arrondissement, after a two hour patrol, Ladybug leaned against Chat Noir in his lap and watched the clouds move across the moon. “We did  good job tonight,” Ladybug said.

 “Hmm? Yeah, we did. Swatted a lot of pests off the street.” Chat Noir gently pulled one of Ladybug’s pigtails out, running his clawed hands through her silky hair.

 “That, too. But I meant...you and me.” She looked up at her boyfriend. “You had a lot of chances to kiss me down there. And I had a lot of opportunities to kiss you, too. And we didn’t even get close!” She smiled in pride.

 “My Lady, I must admit I don’t love you using that delightsome tone of voice when announcing that we _didn’t_ kiss.”

 She giggled. Ladybug put a hand around Chat’s head and pulled it down to meet her lips upside-down and kissed him twice. Not the most satisfying of kisses from that angle, but enough to make a point. “I’m proud of our restraint, minou,” she whispered against his lips. “It keeps us safe. It keeps our relationship safe.” It helped her trust that this relationship wasn’t a stupid gamble, putting Paris’s safety at risk for her own embattled hormones.

 Chat growled low, his chest vibrating. “It would be im-paw-ssible if I didn’t know I could have you in my claws later on.” They kissed a third time. “Besides...this way, I can practice all our kisses for the grand reveal in the future. And you know what they say- practice makes purrrrrfect.”

 Ladybug hummed in amusement. She snuggled deeper into his embrace and looked forward again. For a moment, they sat in silence and stared out at their beloved city. A city that she would do anything to protect, no matter the cost.

 After the silence reigned a bit longer, Ladybug spoke up. “Would you go to Alya’s Halloween party with me?” 

 “I thought you’d never ask,” Chat replied, grinning. He kissed the top of her head. “Nino is really excited. He was trying to convince me to go as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle with him.”

 “Are you?”

 “Well, I don’t know. Does my girlfriend want to dress up with me?” Chat Noir ran a claw down Ladybug’s arm, making Marinette shiver. “I saw some costumes online for Sexy Ladybug and Sexy Chat Noir,” he growled. 

 “ _Adrien!_ ” Ladybug chastised, blushing. “We can’t do that!” She adjusted her position to better look at him. “Besides. You’re _always_ Sexy Chat Noir.”

 “You think Chat Noir is sexy? Really?”

 Marinette’s blush returned. “Of course I do. I’m dating you!”

 “Well, I know you think _Adrien the supermodel_ is sexy…” Chat Noir lifted his eyebrows twice flirtatiously. “But the ears don’t put you off?”

 Ladybug refused to look at him. She was already blushing without seeing that smirk, fishing for compliments. “Please, Chaton. You’re all...leather-y, and flexible, skintight and...oh, god, you’re embarrassing me!”

 “Awww,” Chat said with a laugh. He nuzzled his face against Ladybug’s. “Don’t be embarrassed. I think you’re sexy Ladybug all the time, too.” He ran his claws up and down her arm again, sliding closer to the inside of her arm this time. Ladybug could feel Chat’s heart pounding. Or was that hers? Her head was getting lighter as the pointed claw drew closer to her waist and the side of her breast. 

 Ladybug swallowed thickly and let her head fall onto Chat’s shoulder. “ _Mon cher,_ ” she sighed. She felt warm from head to toe, but particularly between her legs. 

 Ever so delicately, Chat put his hand under Ladybug’s chin. He led her face towards his and began to kiss her. Ladybug adjusted her position in his lap, more comfortable when she was facing him. His clawed hand trailed back to her side, running up and down the suit while her hands laced around his back, playing with the texture of the leather. While slowly Chat moved his lips against Ladybug’s, one of her hands moved from his shoulder blades up to his hair, fondling and playing with the leather cat ear and the hair it brushed against. 

 She could feel a rumble starting slow in his chest, then getting stronger as Chat purred into their kiss. The vibrations against Ladybug’s body made her feel even warmer, so she pressed even closer and opened her mouth just a little bit wider. 

 And then suddenly, Chat stopped. He scooted away from Ladybug and stood up. Chat Noir turned the opposite way, clearing his throat. Ladybug watched him stand and stretch. This wasn’t the first time he’d pulled away. They were trying desperately to take things moderately slow, even when their teenage bodies screamed otherwise. 

 So, in an effort to help her boyfriend, Ladybug didn’t bring it up. Instead she asked, “so did you have a costume in mind for us? Something you want us to dress up as?”

 In a cracking voice, Chat Noir replied, “Not helping, Cookie!”

 Ladybug giggled to herself. Honestly, it felt good to rile him up. “Okay. We can always go over notes from patrol again!” She flipped open her yo-yo. “Remember that puppy-kidnapper we busted right after you tackled the drug dealer? The one who tried to punch you in the face, with a snaggle tooth?

 “Yeah, that’ll work,” Chat groaned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1Coquine: This word is _haaaaard_ to translate. It's kind of flirty, kind of a tease, kind of a sexy woman who knows what she wants and how to get it, but typically a positive phrase. So it's not 'slut'. It's often meant sexually, but the entire attitude is more about romantic and physical autonomy. GREAT word, but be careful.  
>  2C’est vite, ça!: Literally, "That's quick, that!". More like here saying, "that's hella fast!". Boring explanation: The French like to emphasize informal, spoken things by using "C'est" and then ending with re-emphasizing the subject (in this, it's "ça", or "that"), whereas in English we stick our emphasis word in the middle. This is actually very informal and not at all proper written French for a whole handful of reasons, which is why I felt it just couldn't be translated to get exactly how Alya would sound.  
> 3Putain: Fuck. Very popular, too.  
> 4"it’s like every school in Paris is out for the same holiday break or something": Everyone _is_ out for the same holiday break. Marinette is being sassy because right now, they're on Toussaint holiday, a nation-wide holiday celebrated right at the mid-term (quarter) break. The regions all get out of school at the same time.  
>  5 la salope: The bitch. Salope is one of MANY ways to say that in French, but this one has alliteration. :)  
> 6"A Halloween party?....how exotic!": Halloween is an American imported holiday. The French are very aware its origins are European, but they consider it American. It is nowhere near as popular in France as it is in the US, but it's gaining popularity. There are some events you can find in Paris, a few kids will trick or treat, stores will sell costumes and decorations...they think it's a fun holiday, but very American, the way we celebrate Cinco de Mayo or St. Patrick's Day. (Kind of. With less cultural insensitivity.)


	7. Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S HALLOWEEN!!! IN THE FIC TODAY IS HALLOWEEN!
> 
> So remember how I said updating once a week would keep us _kind of_ close to the actual holidays? We're going to have to be a little flexible here. But Halloween is going to last two chapters, therefore two weeks. "But wait," you say, "Next week still isn't Halloween. Aren't you a little confused?"  
>  Yes, you're right, but the chapter after THAT is Toussaint, November 1st. Which will, in fact, be posted the Sunday before November 1st! "But wait," you say, "None of your readers really celebrate Toussaint, so why does that matter? And wouldn't it be better to post the Toussaint chapter after Toussaint, not before, for various plot reasons that you can't yet reveal to me?"  
> Yes, again dear hypothetical reader who cares about the posting schedule a lot, you're right. I probably should have waited to start posting a week or two later than I started. But the train is moving and we're all just going to deal with reading about Halloween and Toussaint a little bit early, OKAY?! 
> 
> okay.  
> so. Now that that's done. IT'S HALLOWEEN!  
> (this is one of my least favorite chapters for a lot of reasons. We'll get through it together, I promise...I like the next two a lot.)

A week and a day later, Adrien watched helplessly while Marinette was face-first in a tub of water, her hands tied behind her back. Thankfully, not for anything nefarious. Just desperately trying to nab an apple in her teeth and thinking this was some torturous American Halloween game.

The party was in full swing, pumpkins sitting in a line waiting to be carved, and candy wrappers strewn along the snack table. Marinette had helped Alya with little paper bats hung from the ceiling and ghosts made out of pillowcases “floated” around the room. Adrien and Nino had bought the small decorations available at the local Monoprix, so witches stuck to windows and orange lights strung on the snack table. Nino’s playlist of ‘Halloween Classics’ he found online mixed with their favorite American songs played in the background and Madame Césaire's hotdogs and hamburgers had been a hit with the teenagers. The mini peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, not so much. But the twins had certainly had their share of sweet sandwiches before taking off for trick-or-treat inside the apartment building with their dad.

Alya was a wonderful host. She was dressed as Majestia, repeating a costume she had for a convention before moving to Paris. Nino had dressed as a Ninja Turtle, just like he had wanted to. Juleka and Rose were there, dressed as a vampire and a fairy princess accordingly. Alix had come alone, dressed as a knight, but she never once looked lonely. Kim (who dressed as an American Football player) had brought his girlfriend Ondyne, costumed as a mermaid. And Ivan and Mylène had come as Frankenstein and Frankenstien’s bride, the temporary hair dye in Mylène’s braids and green facepaint on Ivan giving them both the perfect look. Everyone was circled around the tub of water and floating apples.

Adrien cheered on his girlfriend, although he wasn’t sure if she could hear. He had already had his turn and with a face in the water, it was hard to hear much besides a faraway roar of voices. Finally triumphant, Marinette arose, an apple between her teeth and her costume makeup dripping. Their friends all cheered. Adrien, dressed head to toe in an impressive pirate costume, ran and picked her up into a spinning hug- apple still in her mouth and hands still tied.

“You did it! You did it! You did...Oh, sorry, Cookie,” Adrien laughed. He set her down and plucked the apple from her mouth. He grinned. Adrien and Marinette were in matching pirate costumes, his including a tricorn hat Marinette made, eye-patch, puffy shirt swiped from the Gabriel Fashion closet, a vest and pants also sewn by Marinette, and a pair of impressive leather boots. She’d helped him age the clothes and paint on facial hair- he brought his own sword in a holster. Marinette didn’t have time to sew two costumes, so hers was mostly a collection of existing pieces- a long black trench coat, a bandana holding up her hair, three layered skirts pinned to hang asymmetrically, and a corset holding her own puffy shirt in place.

Adrien squeezed Marinette’s arms. “You did so great!”

“Thanks, Adrien,” Marinette said. “Now- would you untie me?”

Adrien gave her a mischievous look and suddenly took on a pirate accent. “Arrr, me lass! I shan’t untie ye. Not when yer ready to walk the plank!”

Marinette immediately jumped in with her reply. “Oh, don’t be a fool now, you scurvy dog. Mutiny on my ship? Detaining the cap’n? Men have lost their legs for less!”

Alya pulled out her phone in delight, recording the two as they played. Adrien took a few steps around Marinette, walking as if he had a limp. “Cap’n? What power have ye, as cap’n, when tied like a captive? Why me lady, yer nothin but sharkbait like this.”

“Don’t underestimate me power. For ye boarded not just the ship of a pirate queen, but the ship of one in works with _sea witches_! Throw me overboard if ye like, but ye won’t be feeding fishes. Yer mistakes shall haunt you over the seas and for all of yer life, and like a wave from the ocean, I’ll rise with the krakken ‘erself! Woooe unto the mutinous scum!”

Adrien stepped closer. He growled against Marinette’s forehead, “‘Ow do I know ye ain’t bluffin, _wench_?”

“Go ahead and try,” Marinette growled back. “But when ye try to warn yer fellow mutinous scum, it will be too late. Dead men tell no tales.”

Adrien walked around the back of Marinette. He adored the playful side of Marinette, and it was hard to keep his scowl and not break character. Adrien stepped behind where Marinette couldn’t see him and dramatically unsheathed his sword. Around Marinette, all their friends gasped. The cold blade lightly touched her wrists- and like a letter-opener, the sword broke through the cords. The rope fell frayed onto the ground.

“ _Shit_ , man!” Nino yelped.

“ _AWESOME!”_ Alix screamed.

Mylène squeaked in terror and hid behind Ivan. And Alya was recording the entire thing.

Marinette slowly turned to Adrien, snatching his sword out of his hand. Adrien’s handle on it had been loose, even looser when he guessed what Marinette was going to do. Marinette leaned in close, pressing the sword flat harmlessly against Adrien’s shoulder as she leaned their bodies together. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t gut you like a fish for those mutinous intentions, scum!”

“Because ye’ll never find a pirate who loves you as much as I...my queen...and my _wife_.”

Rose gasped in the circle of on-lookers. And Marinette broke character for a moment, trying to hold in a laugh. She couldn’t speak without laughing, so Marinette did the naturally dramatic choice. With the sword still between them, she wrapped her free arm around Adrien and pulled them together for a dramatic kiss. Adrien’s eyes widened in real-life shock, then closed and he tried to kiss her roughly, like a pirate.

The friends cheered and clapped. Marinette and Adrien separated and Marinette handed the sword back to Adrien for sheathing. Adrien held her hand, stepping out to the side and took a flourishing bow. He said to Marinette, “Told you the real sword was worth it!”

Alya put her phone down and yelled out, “Now I have to get more rope for the _rest_ of the people playing the game, dorks!”

Marinette held Adrien’s hand tighter, who was bowing even more dramatically now, and stuck her tongue out at Alya. “As if anyone could follow _that_ .” No one tried. Frankly, bobbing for apples wasn’t the most exciting of games to play _or_ watch, so most partygoers separated to find other activities.

Ninja Turtle Nino waved Adrien over in excitement. “Dude, you got to try the apple tart Marinette’s dad made.”

Marinette leaned in when she heard Nino’s compliment. “ _Apple_ _pie_ ” she corrected in English. In French she explained, “It’s a ‘pie’, not a tart. Because it has a top crust. And you eat it hot.”

“So...pa-eee de pommes?”

“No, it’s American. When you want a hot dog, you wouldn’t say ‘chien chaud’. Same with this. It’s ‘ _Apple pie_.’”

“Ok, _Apull paa-ee,_ ” Nino repeated. “Like that?”

“Exactly!”

“Great. I can say it. Now let’s go eat it!” Nino said. Adrien laughed. He quickly pecked his girlfriend on the lips before letting his best friend drag him away. When they were a little farther away, Nino said, “So, you two look happy!”

“Nino, we really are,” Adrien agreed with a grin.

“No, uh, lingering feelings for Ladybug?” Nino cut them each a slice of pie.

How was Adrien supposed to answer that? He chuckled to himself. Yes, he absolutely had lingering feelings for Ladybug. Feelings that had just gotten stronger and stronger by dating her in and out of their costumes. But instead, he said, “Not really, no. I still admire her for all the same things, but...Marinette is everything I love...euh, _loved_... about Ladybug and more.”

“That’s awesome, dude!” Nino said with an honest grin and soft eyes. He wrapped an arm around Adrien’s shoulder and squeezed. “Man, I always knew you two would be great if you’d give her the chance. But you’re so damn stubborn sometimes.”

“Blind, more like,” Adrien admitted.

Rose was hovering nearby at the candy bowl. Her giant blue eyes turned to the boys and she blinked with pink false eyelashes. “Are you two talking about Adrien and Marinette?” Adrien had a bite of pie in his mouth and nodded. Rose’s entire face lit up and she squealed in delight, her handfuls of candy going flying behind her. Rose rushed over to Adrien and latched on to his arm. “Adrien, you and Marinette are _so cute_ ! I’m so excited for you!! I have hoped you’d be a couple ever since she first started liking you. And that was so, so long ago!” She sighed dramatically with a dreamy look in her eye. “I know I should be sad about her dumping Luka a few weeks ago. We could have been sister-in-laws! But I just knew it was just a detour on her path to _truuuue looove_.” Rose’s hands snaked up and around Adrien’s pirate coat arms, probably leaving a trail of glitter.

“Well, thanks, Rose! I appreciate the support,” Adrien replied, a little awkwardly. Nino had backed up, trying to morph his laugh into a cough.

“You two are going to be together forever, I just know it. You’re so nice, she’s so nice. You’re so talented, she’s so talented. You’re a model, she’s a designer. You’re so beautiful, she’s so beautiful. You’re just a perfect couple, Adrien! A perfect couple!! And your kids will be just as beautiful- as beautiful…” Rose sniffed loudly, apparently growing very emotional. “Just as beautiful as you two!”

“That’s very sweet….” Adrien replied again. His friend was entirely snaked up Adrien’s arm now. Adrien was confident Rose had never been this close to him before and didn’t know what to do. Rose was full-on blubbering over Marinette and Adrien at this point, hitting Adrien repeatedly in the face with her fairy wings as she cried into his arm. Adrien looked over at Nino for help, but his best friend just grinned and shook his head. So Adrien looked across the room. Marinette herself was talking with Nathaniel and would be no help. Over by the kitchen table, he made eye contact with Juleka, who was chatting with Ondyne and Alix. “ _Help me!”_ Adrien mouthed.

Juleka excused herself and with a dramatic whoosh of her vampire cape, hurried over. Juleka gave Adrien an apologetic look over Rose’s head. Adrien asked, “Is she…” and then rubbed his nose with a fist[1] . Rose didn’t smell like alcohol- she smelled like sugar and floral perfume. But she certainly seemed drunk.

 Juleka shook her head. “She’s on a sugar-rush. She gets like this.” Lightly, Juleka put a hand on Rose’s back. “Rose? Sweetie?”

 Rose turned around and her eyes grew two sizes upon seeing Juleka. “ _Ma belle!!!_ Ma vampire! You’re not a vam _pire_ , Juleka, you’re a vam- _meilleure_.” [2] She giggled. “I was just telling Adrien how proud we are of him and Marinette and their true love!”

 “Yes, I can see that,” Juleka said softly. “But sweetie, you’re getting glitter all over his pirate costume.”

 “Oh _NO!”_ Rose cried out. “Adrien, I didn’t mean to! But that’s okay, right? Glitter is so good for everyone! Pirates need more glitter. But now Marinette needs glitter, so they still match!” She let go of Adrien, looking around for Marinette.

 “Rose, my treasure, I don’t think she does,” Juleka said, grabbing her girlfriend’s hand. “Why don’t we go get some water?”

 “Ohhh, you take care of me, Juleka. You’re the best girlfriend ever.” She latched onto Juleka’s arm, eyes glowing up at her. Then she turned back to Adrien, who was amused more than concerned now. “No offense, Adrien. I’m sure you think Marinette’s the best girlfriend ever. But you’re wrong...you’re wrong, it’s Juleka. Even though they are both very beautiful.”

 Adrien laughed. “Thank you, Rose,” he said as Juleka swept her girlfriend away and over to the water. He turned back to Nino. “But no thanks to _you_ , Raphael!”

 “Hey!” Nino pointed to his orange Ninja headwrap around his eyes. “I’m Michelangelo!”

 “And you’re still not helpful.”

 “It was _hilarious_ ,” Nino defended. “Here, try more pie. Try it with ice cream...that’s how Americans eat it. They call it _à la mode_.”

 Adrien lifted his eyes in surprise. “Oh?” He dug the scoop into the vanilla ice cream, dropping a round scoop next to his pie. “Then I _have_ to try it. It’s my job to stay _à la mode_. [3] ” Adrien gave Nino his signature pun grin before digging into the pie. Adrien moaned at the taste, the mix of cinnamon, apples, and flaky, buttery crust. Marinette’s father was an incredible baker. Dating Marinette, he got to try a lot of croissants, pastries, tarts, and now pies. He was absolutely certain his father wouldn’t approve of this particular side-effect of dating her.  But like everything that came from dating His Lady, it was worth it. “You’re right, Nino,” he said after swallowing. “This is delicious.”

 After a few silent bites, Nino spoke up again. “So, back to you and Marinette. She’s your first kiss and your first everything, right?”

 “Yep. Hopefully first and last.”

 Nino looked at him in surprise. “What, you’re gonna die?!”

 “What? No! No! I mean….” Adrien felt a pink flush on his cheeks. “I don’t ever want to kiss anyone else. I want her to be my forever.”

 “Oh, my god, dude,” Nino said, shaking his head and smiling. “You’re such a freaking romantic. You always have been. Aïe, it’s only October and I’m already scared for how Alya’s going to compare our Saint Valentine to yours.”

 Adrien grinned. He had to admit, it wasn’t the first time he had thought of Saint Valentine’s Day with his Buginette. “We can plan together! I’ve always wanted to plan a real Saint Valentine date.”

 “Dude, I will take you up on that.” Nino put out a fist for a fist-bump. “Our girls deserve the best, right, man?” Adrien nodded in agreement. “Which is why I wanted to talk about this kissing stuff, actually. Marinette’s your first girlfriend, but you ain’t her first boyfriend. Right?”

 “Gross. Don’t remind me,” Adrien grumbled. “At least Luka’s a good guy and she wasn’t with someone bad, I just...don’t want to think about that, y’know?”

 “I know, I know! I just mean Marinette might be used to more than what you can give her. What’s the farthest you’ve got?”

 Adrien blushed. He was suddenly very, very interested in his pie. “I mean...it’s only been a week and a half, Nino. And we’ve got our entire lives to try stuff.”

 “So that means _que dalle [4] _, basically.”

 “No, not...not nothing! We’ve kissed!” He was bright red again. “We’ve...kind of made out. A little. We’ve kissed in each other’s laps...kissed and touched…”

 “Touched how?”

 “Arms. Hair.” Adrien got a dreamy look in his eyes as he imagined how Ladybug would scratch his hair. Marinette did it less than her counterpart; she preferred to comb it with her fingers and tug a little as they kissed. “Sides,” his voice was breathy now, imagining how different her skin-tight thick suit and her thin cotton shirt felt under his hands. He practically groaned, “faces…”

 “Okay, settle down, boy. But nothing intimate yet, right?”

 Adrien shook his head. “Not yet. It’s only been a week, man. I don’t want to rush a good thing!”

 “Okay, I get that. That’s good, really. She deserves that respect. I just know...Marinette’s had a boyfriend, right? And considering it’s _her_ , you’ve got big shoes to fill.”

 “You mean after Luka?”

 “I mean with _you_ , Adrien. She’s been hyping you up since you first showed up at our school, dude. Man, I’ve been biting my tongue about it for years, but she has just been…” Nino shook his head again, a loving look on his face as he thought about his good friend. “She’s been crazy, dude. And I don’t want you disappointing her with a reality that’s less...exciting.”

 Adrien’s heart fell. “You think that she thinks I’m less exciting than what she hoped?”

 Nino caught the disappointment in Adrien’s eyes. “No! Dude, no. Especially right now, honeymoon stage...she’s on cloud nine. But you know I love you, you know I love Marinette. I just think you need to make sure her needs are met, y’know, dude? So she _stays_ happy.”

 “Well hey, I’m not turning her down!”

 “Have you kissed like lovers yet?”

 “You mean with tongue?”

 Nino rolled his eyes. “Yes, professor.” [5]

 “Not yet. We’ve...y’know, open mouth a little bit. Just open enough to really...kiss lip over lip?”

 Nino chewed thoughtfully on his pie. “Alright. Alright. So...when you get there, do you know how to ask?”

 “Wouldn’t I just ask?”

 “With your body language, man. With your tongue.” Adrien flushed in embarrassment. He stuffed his mouth full of ice cream to try not to answer. He really didn’t want to think about this too much at Alya’s party, around all these people. But Nino kept going, like a steamroller. “Less is more when it comes to the tongue and kissing. Remember that. _Less is more_. Just kind of lick the middle of her lips, right? And if she’s game, she’ll open her mouth to let you in.”

 Adrien felt his ears turning red in embarrassment. Honestly, he wanted to listen. He really, really wanted to kiss her like the lovers they were. And he didn’t want to screw it up. But this was mortifying! Especially coming from a guy dressed like a turtle.

 Nino continued as Adrien stuffed more pie in his mouth. “Don’t try to choke her with your tongue. The goal isn’t just ‘get it in’- actually, pro tip, that’s _never_ the goal. If you’re ever just trying to get something in her, you’re doing it wrong, dude.”

 “Nino, please. This is bad enough. Can we stick to one topic, please?”

 “Yeah, man. Sorry. So when you’re in there, just kind of keep it to the sides. The teeth, the gums...gums are great, aight? Lots of nerves there. The other tongue a little bit. Be okay exploring. And most important, it’s going to be weird as fuck at first. You’ll get better at it and you’ll figure out what you both like. And the rules change based on your, euh, passion. Right?”

“I...guess so?”

Nino rolled his eyes. “You should know this, man. Do you always kiss her the exact same way?”

Oh! Adrien did know that! He stood up straighter, proud. Even from their first date, he’d seen how different moods meant they kissed differently. “No, it’s always different!”

 “There you go! So, it’s the same with the tongue.” It was possible Nino planned to explain more, but Adrien felt his pocket vibrate thrice, the pattern reserved for Paris 4 Paris, Marinette’s favorite akuma-spotting app. Immediately, he reached into the pocket and read his notification. With Nino droning in the background, Adrien ignored him and looked across the room for his partner. Marinette had her phone in hand too, ignoring whatever Nathaniel was telling her and looking for Adrien. They made stern eye contact and nodded. He watched Marinette turn softly to Nathanael and excuse herself, striding across the room. 

Adrien watched Marinette march with a purpose and smirked as she visibly tried to change her expression from ‘Ladybug on a Mission’ to ‘Marinette at a Party’. What would their excuse be? Did one of them ‘need to go home’? Was someone ‘feeling ill’? Adrien’s eyes flicked to Nino and he suddenly had the perfect idea.

Marinette reached the two boys, garnering everyone’s attention. “Adrien…”

 “Cookie, hi!” Adrien grabbed her hands and pulled her in for a kiss in front of Nino. As he started to pulled away, he whispered against her mouth, “follow my lead.” Adrien raised an eyebrow at Marinette and said louder, in a voice that included Nino, “Nino was just telling me about something we ought to try.”

 Marinette looked over at Nino, who looked both shocked and delighted. “He was? What is it?”

 “Not something we can try at the treat table. Let’s get out of here.”

 Nino swallowed his last bite of pie. “Dudes, you can always just use Alya’s room.”

 Adrien froze. He was okay with playing the ‘I have to go experiment with my girlfriend’ card to get a chance to save Paris- it was one he hoped to use a few times. But going to Alya’s room wouldn’t help. They’d still be stuck in the house!

 Unfortunately, Alya as Majestia was right behind them, agreeing with her own boyfriend. “Don’t leave yet! We haven’t even carved the pumpkins. If you want to play a few more party games, I am _way_ more than happy to let you use my room for private time.”

 Adrien looked at Marinette. She looked almost as panicked as he. But then an idea flashed across her eyes. Marinette gripped Adrien’s hand, squeezing it tight over his ring. _Trust me_ , her squeeze said. “That’s very generous, Alya. Don’t wait up for us.” Marinette tugged Adrien as fast as possible down the hallway. “Window,” she muttered as they rushed.

 He could hear Alya and Nino reacting in delight behind them. Adrien couldn’t make out what they said to each other, but he _could_ hear Alya shout, “Put your coat down first on top of my sheets, please!” before Alya and Nino exploded into laughter.

 Marinette pushed Alya’s door open and locked it behind herself and Adrien. Adrien was looking around the room curiously. “Wow, I’ve never been in Alya’s room! This is so cool!”

 “Yeah, it’s very cool,” she agreed, not looking up from her phone. No doubt, his Ladybug was already researching and plotting their battle. Adrien was more distracted by her room, posters of superheroes tacked up. There was Ladybug and Chat Noir, of course. Majestia, Superman, Lois Lane, (Adrien grinned at her poster: of course Alya loved Lois!), and… “Wow, is that Rena Rouge? I’ve never seen a really clear picture of her, not even on the Ladyblog!”

 “She commissioned it from Nathanael,” Marinette told him.

 Adrien nodded in understanding. He kept looking around until he noticed Alya’s desk. It was covered in newspapers, photos, notebooks, sticky notes, and multiple waterbottles. The administrator side of the Ladyblog was still up. “Look, I could make a post on the Ladyblog!” Adrien said, excitedly. He stepped over to the keyboard, clicked ‘new post’ and typed out loud, “Chat Noir….loves...Ladybug. Ladybug...loves...Chat Noir. Especially...his butt. Chat Noir loves...to kiss...Ladybug. They are...the world’s best...couple.”

 “Do not post that, Adrien,” Marinette chastised over her phone.

 “I won’t, I won’t,” he said, erasing the post. Adrien turned on a playlist of music, explaining, “Decoy make-out music. And now they can’t hear us talk.”

 “Good idea!”

 “Speaking of good ideas- when we get back, we should _totally_ make good on our promise,” Adrien replied.

 Marinette looked up from her app, finally. “Which promise?”

 Adrien stepped closer to her. He pulled off his hat and threw it against the wall, his drawn-on facial hair rising as he smirked. He ran a hand through his hair, letting it bounce back into place. “I want to try something new with you, My Pirate Queen,” he said, voice low and husky.

 Marinette flushed and crossed her legs. “ _Adrien_ ,” she hissed, “You can’t do this to me now! We’re about to go fight!”

 Adrien put on a face of innocence, stepping close enough to run his hands through

Marinette’s hair at the back of her head. Most of her hair was swept under a bandana, hanging loose over her neck. When his hands swept through her hair, they brushed her neck, making Marinette’s head roll back and forcing a sharp inhale. “What am I doing to you?”

 “ _Minou, please_ ,” Marinette whined.

 “Oh, I could please you, my love.” He snaked her second hand around her back, and Marinette grabbed it tightly to stop him.

 “ _After_ this, you big tease.”

 Adrien’s eyes went wide. His flirtatious façade dropped immediately into the giddy look she normally saw. “Promise?”

 Marinette dropped Adrien’s hand and scratched his chin. “If you’re a good little cat, sure.” She took a step away from her boyfriend, now feeling like the happiest, sweetest pirate on the sea. “Looks like this will be a fun one. Our akuma is changing people _into_ their costumes. There’s fake monsters and celebrities and animals running around, so be careful. They're out there, terrorizing all the people just trying to have a good night. [6] A few Ladybug and Chat Noirs out there, too. Stick together, so we don’t get confused for any duplicates.”

 “Stuck like glue, my lady. Ready to transform?”

 “Let’s do this.”

\----

 Chat Noir and Ladybug were deep into their battle against Hallowmean, an akuma with the terrible and amusing power to transform costume-wearing citizens into the very thing they pretended to be in their costume. For the most part, this led to just a lot of confused civilians suddenly finding themselves in the bodies of celebrities or athletes. Children now real-life cartoons. But due to those dressed like monsters, ferocious animals, or even over-enthusiastic superheroes...Paris in front of Place de la Bourse was very dangerous.

 Ladybug and Chat Noir ran hand-in-hand-in-hand with a Parisian man, tripping over his own elaborate costume. He wore a kiddy-pool around his waist, cellophane water and fake piranhas spread out like a tu-tu. Hallowmean laughed. “TRICK OR TREAT!” He yelled, throwing a fistful of candy at the group. Ladybug tossed her yo-yo directly up to catch onto a lamp-post, Chat’s hand in hers. As Ladybug tugged Chat upwards, he felt a sharp bite on his foot and yelped in pain. A sharp white light of pain flashed in Chat’s eyes and in a painful shock, he let go of his girlfriend’s grip.

 The person dressed as a kiddy pool full of piranhas had been hit by the candy. Fish were latched onto Chat’s foot and in pain. By the time he realized what had happened, Chat was falling fast into the kiddy pool.

 “CHAT!” Ladybug yelled.

 “Oh no, the fish are _not_ eating the cat tonight!” Chat yelled. Ladybug didn’t need to help him out of this. He twirled his baton and smacked piranhas left and right until he stood alone in the pool. He was particularly aggressive against the awful fish that had bit through his combat boot. “This really bites!”

 Hallowmean cackled. He stared at Ladybug, momentarily ignoring Chat, and threw another fistful of candy. “TRICK OR TREAT!”

 Ladybug was ready this time. She had her yo-yo twirling as a shield and deflected the candy every which way. Including...Chat gulped, desperately trying to avoid the rain of candy ricocheting towards him. “I’ll take neither!” Ladybug shouted back.

 A dull thunk of a candy hit Chat’s forehead and he registered a quick pain. Chat rubbed his forehead, still looking up at Ladybug. But she was shrinking, shrinking fast, getting farther and farther away from him.

 Chat got closer and closer to the water, realizing it was now up to his chin. He looked down and saw a blurry reflection- a black splosh with bright green eyes. He couldn’t see his mop of blonde hair, but didn’t think much. However, he was _very_ aware of how wet he was, and he was _very, very_ upset about it.

  _I need to get out of this water! I need Marinette to get me out of this water!!_ Chat turned his attention upwards to Ladybug far above him. It looked like she was looking for him, too. “Chat?” Ladybug asked.

 He followed her eyes as she scanned the area. There were a few terrorized civilians without costumes, the flopping piranhas, a tiny Italian plumber in a red hat and overalls, jumping much higher than he should be able to. He looked back up at Ladybug impatiently, who was now staring at him in confusion. _Don’t just stand there. Get me out of the water! I hate this water! Get me out, get me out!_

 Ladybug dropped down into the pool and landed with a splash. She was enormous! Ladybug splashed Chat’s entire body and he recoiled, wiping his face with a furry, black arm and paw, hissing in distate. “Mreeow!” Chat angrily meowed. His voice sounded different than normal. It sounded...like a meow. Like a real cat’s meow! And Adrien didn’t even feel confused- just more pissed. So not only was he now tiny and wet, he was a real cat, too? Not okay. Adrien angrily meowed again, curling his back into an angry arch and angrily meowing at anyone in the world would would hear.

 “Wait... _Chat Noir_? I mean, obviously you’re a chat noir, but are you…”

 At his Lady’s voice, Adrien turned to look at Ladybug with big green eyes. She was enormous, but she was still her- with beautiful sky blue eyes and a gentle, concerned face. His fur settled back down. _Marinette!_ Adrien tried to take a step towards her, but his paw was wet, his legs were in water, and he didn’t want to be! Adrien pulled his paw back to his body and sadly, _loudly_ , cried out, “Miaaaaaaaaaou!”

 “Oh poor kitty,” Ladybug gushed. She picked the cat out of the water and ran with it against her chest, making a break to escape Hallowmean and go for a roof.

 This was a significant improvement. Now, Chat wasn’t only out of the water, but he was in his Lady’s arms. He could smell her and oh boy, did she smell good. Like bread and warmth and love and his person. Not only that, but she was holding him against her chest. He could hear and feel her heartbeat and as he leaned his body against it, he realized...he was now face-to-face with boobs as big as himself.

 Chat was now perfectly content, rubbing his face and body against her breasts and purring like a loud maraca. “Yep, you’re my Chat Noir,” Marinette muttered. “And getting more action as a cat than you have ever as a boy.” _Maybe so_ , Chat said, not even bothering to mentally disagree. Instead, he just pressed his face deeper against the slight give of her breast and purred.

 They reached a safe roof and Ladybug let cat Chat Noir onto the roof. Wait, she was putting him down? No! He wanted to be in her arms! He promised not to try to get to second base again!! Immediately, he walked back over to her legs and started pawing her. “Mow! Mow! Miaaaaoooooouuu!”

 “Chaton, quiet down,” Ladybug scolded.

 Obediently, Adrien stopped screaming. However, he still quietly complained, “mowwww,”

 “I can’t carry you around the entire battle,” Ladybug told him sweetly.

  _And why not?_ Adrien thought. He wanted to be with her! And he wanted to protect her! Marinette was his girlfriend, his partner, his mate!

 Cat Chat Noir took a different technique and started circling her legs, rubbing up against them, and rumbling a loud, “rrrrrrr.”

 “Are you trying to protect me?” The rumbling got louder in response. _Yes! Stay here! Let your mate protect you!_ Marinette softly laughed. She dropped to her knees. Right away, cat Chat Noir put his paw on her knees, leapt in to her lap, and butted her head with his. “I love you too, Adrien, but I have to fight him!”

 Well, of course! That was the idea! He would fight for her because _he_ loved _her!_ Cat Chat Noir leapt from her lap to her shoulder, threateningly meowing, “mrrrriiiiiaou,” in Hallowmean’s general direction.

 “No, I meant _alone_.” Marinette plucked the cat off her shoulder and held him in front of her. Adrien’s cat body hung limp like a rag doll. It was normally hard to convince Ladybug that Chat Noir was right. In this compromising position? Impossible. “Oh, my goodness. You are really _cute_ kitten, aren’t you, mon cher?”

 “Miaou.” He could take a compliment.

 “Yes, you are a cute kitten!” She leaned in and rubbed her cheek against cat Chat Noir’s face, listening to him purr. “Minou minou minou minou!” Ladybug cooed. She pulled back away, a stupid grin on her face. And that gave Adrien a new idea. If she wouldn’t let him _fight_...maybe he could convince her to _stay!_

 Cat Chat Noir’s tail and whiskers twitched. “ _Mi_ aou,” he replied.

 “You’re very cute...but you have to stay here and not get involved in this fight, alright, Chat? This is just for me. I’ll fix you up, I promise.” She placed the cat on the ground, but he immediately ran back into her arms. “Now Adrien, what did I just say?”

 “ _Mrrrraaaaou!_ ”

 “No, you listen to _me_. You can’t fight as a cat!” Cat Chat Noir hissed. “Don’t you talk back to me, monsieur. You can’t! You’ll just get hurt. Stay here.” She put him back on the rooftop again, glaring. Adrien’s ears fell back against his head and he glared right back. It wasn’t fair! “Stay. Here.”

 His tail flicked three times. And then Adrien sat, but his neck fur was still bristling. Okay. He would listen to Ladybug. But that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it!

 And suddenly, in the body of a cat, Adrien understood Plagg much better.

 “Good kitten. I’ll come right back here when I get rid of his akuma.”

 Ladybug left her cat boyfriend on the roof, alone. _Does this mean he could turn her into an insect?_   He wondered. _How would we win?_

 Once he was sure Marinette was out of sight, Cat Chat Noir padded over to the edge of the roof. His tail flicked curiously as he watched his girlfriend fight from above.

 He watched Ladybug fight with love and pride. Adrien purred. _That’s my partner. That’s my girlfriend._ He watched Ladybug fight the skeleton akuma with ease. She would deflect candy, make bounding leaps over him, and even enlisted the help of a few costumed citizens before sending them to safety.

 Anxiously, cat Chat Noir paced along the edge of the roof. She had to win soon. She had to! The fighting continued as Ladybug got closer and closer to lassoing the trick-or-treat bucket. But she never quite could. Chat’s eyes grew wide and focused on a bright, pink light and he watched something similar in size and shape to a pen fall from the sky into Marinette’s open reach. _Her lucky charm_ , he thought.

 Chat’s ears flicked and he turned away from Marinette’s confusion at her new prize to see Hallowmean, directing a cowboy towards Ladybug. The cowboy handed Hallowmean his lasso and the skeleton started to twirl it in the air. _Enemy._

 On pure adrenaline and instinct, Chat leapt from the building and ran right behind the skeleton, still swinging his lasso.

 Chat froze. He hunkered down, butt in the air. His butt wiggled as Chat focused every bit of attention he had. His vision singled out the skeleton. And then,  in the same moment Hallowmean released his lasso at the distracted superhero, Chat pounced.

 Cat Chat Noir landed just above the pelvis and climbed up his back like a tree, all the way up to the skull, where he covered the empty eye sockets with his paws.

 He looked over at Ladybug, tied up in a lasso.  “Mip!” he chirped to Ladybug. She smiled back at him and he felt his heart flip. He couldn’t just let her do this alone, he loved her too much.

 “Get off!” Hallowmean yelled. He shook his head and Adrien dug his claws in.

 “Mrwowowowowow!” he meowed, getting tossed from side to side but never letting go.

 Hallowmean grew frustrated and dug his bony fingers under Chat, pulling him up. Both Chat and the skeleton yowled as extended claws scraped at exposed bone. Hallowmean tossed Chat bodily through the air and he landed shocked, fur on edge, but on his feet.

 “Stupid cat,” Hallowmean growled. Adrien looked back at him and growled as well. _Stupid bonehead._ The akuma was advancing towards Ladybug, monologuing about her miraculous and dreams come true. Adrien chanced a glance at Ladybug, who was fiddling with her mysterious Lucky Charm even as she was in a tied-up heap.

 Adrien stared angrily at him, eyes focused on his hideous, scratched up skull, when he saw it. A tiny red dot. Bright, shining, impossible, and red. Kill it. He had to kill it!

 Chat slowly felt his fur settle back and he stalked towards the dot. Hallowmean didn’t notice the Dot of Death was on his head. But wait! It moved!

 It moved around his head. Chat froze, watching. Then it moved down his face. Chat began to trot towards the dot. It ran over his rib cage in a tantalizing circle. The akuma was still moving forward as if he noticed nothing, but Chat. Needed. To kill. That. Dot!

 The dot finally sat still, directly on the right femur of Hallowmean. It momentarily disappeared every time he stepped- which meant Chat had no time to lose! He took off at a run and made a flying leap for the red laser dot, crashing into the right femur and popping it out of its socket.

 With his legs out from under him, Hallowmean quickly collapsed and clattered. His hand let go of the trick or treat bucket and tossed it in an arc over his head. The dot had disappeared, so Cat Chat Noir abandoned his spot on the ground and pounced after it, tackling the bucket impressively in mid air and instinctively attacking it with his back paws when they landed.

 “Mikey! Throw his legs far away!” Ladybug yelled.

 A nearby human-sized Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle replied, “You got it, dude,” and picked up the scattered leg bones while the skull complained. He threw them with impressive strength, shouting, “COWABUNGA!” as he sent them flying into the distance and way farther than Adrien’s beady eyes could see.

 With the trick or treat bucket in between his teeth, Adrien proudly trotted over to Marinette. He dropped the bucket and stood proudly for a moment, head held high.

 “Very good job, kitty. But I’m a little too tied up to cleanse it…”

 Cat Chat Noir blinked, then looked back to his girlfriend. He chirped again and walked over to her. He put his paws against the ropes tying Ladybug down and extended his claws, ripping them to shreds. Immediately, puns about ropes and bones came to mind. “Miaou mow mow mow miaou mow mrrrow miaou!”

 Ladybug, now free, pulled the cat into her chest. “I’m sure that was a very funny joke, chaton,” she lovingly mumbled into his fur. “Aw, I’m going to miss you like this.”

 Okay, no. He was a cute cat, and nuzzling her comparatively giant boobs were nice, but Chat was ready to be free of laser-pointer hypnotism and be allowed to help Marinette again. Cat Chat Noir extended his paws, pushing uncomfortably against Marinette’s chest. “Mrrrriaaaaou,” he meowed angrily.

 Ladybug laughed. “I like you better as a boy, I promise. This is just so _cute_! Lookit your wittle paws and your wittle nose!” Ladybug booped his nose and met the tiniest of teeth, biting her finger softly as a reply.

 “Okay, I get it. Let’s change you and everyone else back.” She set him on the ground and picked up the bucket instead, breaking it against her knee. The akuma flew into the sky for Marinette to catch and cleanse, followed quickly by her tossing the laser-pointer into the air, bringing everything and everyone back to normal.

 Michelangelo, now Nino, cheered along with all the other freed Parisians. Hallowmean turned back into a sad teenager, and Chat Noir returned to his full height, declaring, “I’m _me-ow_ again!” Chat Noir grinned, looking around. Nino ran off in a different direction, but Chat was too interested in seeing his partner and girlfriend to care where he went. He turned and saw Ladybug. She turned to him and her eyes filled with warmth above a smile so wide that it scrunched her mask.

 Chat grinned. _My Lady! She’s the right height now!_ Ladybug’s smile opened to show her brilliant teeth, putting out a fist for him to bump. So Chat ran at her, cheering “Bien Joué!”, but connected their fists for only a moment. He pulled her into his embrace and held her tight, Marinette squeaking at the unfamiliar action. He didn’t want to ever let her go again.

 ----

 

In the nick of time, Chat Noir and Ladybug tumbled into Alya’s bedroom. Chat Noir rolled against the bed and grabbed hold of Ladybug right as her transformation dropped and her pirate costume replaced the Ladybug costume. Tikki fell onto the carpet, exhausted. Adrien laughed and dropped his transformation as well, a hatless pirate once more. “You were amazing out there, Cookie!” Adrien said, lifting Marinette to sit next to him.

 Plagg flew over to Tikki, likewise helping her up. “Please, Tikki did all the work. Her Lucky Charm today? Magnificent! That clean up job? Extraordinary!”

 “Thanks, Plagg,” Tikki said softly. “Marinette, could you…”

 “Oh, here, Tikki,” Marinette offered her a macaron from her pocket. Plagg was the one to fly and grab it, then bring it over to Tikki.

 “Annnnd for me?” He asked, once Tikki had started decimating the cookie.

 Adrien smiled at Plagg. He never considered Plagg to be thoughtful, looking out for others _before_ himself. He grabbed a piece of cheese and tossed it to Plagg. “We can get you seconds from the snack table later.” Adrien turned back to his girlfriend, stroking her face. “Thank you for saving me, Buginette,” he whispered.

 “You were pretty helpful yourself, fuzz-ball!” Marinette replied. She leaned her face into his hand. “You made a very cute housecat.”

 “Housecat?! Please! I was a wild, untamed, alleycat. A tomcat! Ready to take on Paris and defend My Lady!”

 Marinette leaned in to tickle Adrien’s stomach until he was on the floor below her. “With the cutest widdle paws and flappy widdle ears and flicky widdle taily-tail! Guili guili, kitty kitty!”

 “Hey! Hey, stop!” Adrien laughed. He didn’t really mind if she stopped. But stop she did, hovering over him anyway with a big smile and soft eyes. Adrien leaned upwards and kissed her. Marinette slowly let herself down until she was suspending herself on her forearms just an inch above his body, prone on the floor. They kissed a little more and then rolled to lay side by side. “This is fun.”

 “What is?”

 “All of this. Being with you. Kissing you. Going to parties with you. Winning fights against villains with you. Hanging out with you.”

 “It is fun, isn’t it?”

 He looked from her gorgeous face to her chest, pushed up in a corset and accentuated but hidden under her puffy shirt. “And I wouldn’t mind scenting myself up against your chest whenever you’re ready, either.”

 “Adrien!” Marinette laughed. She covered her chest with an arm, but she was smiling wide.

 “I said when you’re ready, my princess!”

 Marinette smiled. She dropped her arm and leaned over again to kiss him. “I know. And I’ll let you know.”

 “I like us.”

 “Me too.”

 Marinette moved to brush a patch of glitter off of Adrien’s arm. That made him laugh. “Rose likes us, too. Did you hear her raving over us as a perfect couple? And she’s not wrong!”

 Marinette giggled, brushing more glitter off. “You sure we’re not just _shiny_ and new?”

 Adrien grinned at her pun. She was incredible. He scooted closer to his girlfriend, slowly running the back of his hand along her arm. “Will you still love me when I have black sharpie facial hair and am missing an eye?”

 “Minou, I’d love you if you were missing _both_ eyes.”

 “And the facial hair?”

 “I don’t mind a little fuzz,” she answered in a thick voice, scratching under his chin. Adrien lifted his head up and closed his eyes. It felt heavenly. Surely, Chat Noir bled a little into his interests as Adrien. Marinette didn’t seem to mind at all. So neither did he.

 He heard a frantic knock at the door. Alya’s voice was distant through the wood. “Hey, you two! Get decent! I’m giving you ten seconds and then I’m coming in- I need my computer!”

 Tikki and Plagg flew to their hiding spots and Marinette and Adrien stood up. Adrien was ready to fix his outfit, but Marinette swatted his hand and called back to Alya, “Make it twenty, Alya!”

 “Make it worth it!” She yelled back.

 “She thinks we’ve been kissing for the past thirty minutes,” Marinette whispered in her ‘Ladybug means business’ voice. She threw her coat onto the bed and started pulling her puffy shirt this way and that way, then rotated her skirt about a quarter turn. Adrien stood watching in confusion as she pulled his vest off his arms and threw it on the bed, too. “Muss up my hair,” she whispered, putting her own hands in Adrien’s hair.

 Obediently, Adrien put his fingers into her (soft, beautiful, amazing) hair and mussed it up to look like bedhead. “Like this?”

 “Like you’ve been kissing me,” she explained. Adrien nodded and pushed the hair upwards. “Oh, and...ah, zut. Do you mind if I do something _really_ weird to your face, mon cher?”

 “Like what?”

 “Yes or no.”

 “Yes, I trust you.”

 Marinette leaned in with a _wide_ open mouth, like a vacuum, and set it over his lips. And then- she _licked_ his lips and the skin all the way around his mouth. Adrien’s knees buckled. This was weird, but considering his conversation with Nino and knowing her tongue had never entered his mouth yet (soon, _please_ , God!), he was definitely in favor. He felt his pants tighten in just the seconds it took her before she pulled off, making a sputtering face. “Beurk, sharpie.”

 “I thought you said you’d love me with sharpie facial hair!” Adrien asked, pretending to be offended. He wiped his girlfriend’s saliva off his mouth, taking a considerable amount of sharpie with him on the back of his hand.

 Marinette backed up to look at Adrien. “Okay, you look thoroughly kissed.” Her eyes scanned down to his pants. Embarrassed, Adrien covered his crotch with a hand. Marinette’s eyes followed his hand and she smiled briefly. Ugh, his girlfriend was amazing. She nodded, satisfied. “ _Definitely_ thoroughly kissed. And me?”

 Adrien didn’t answer first- Alya did. “Coming in!” she declared, popping her door’s lock and pushing the door open. Alya only chanced a glance at the couple before making a bee-line to her computer. She ignored Adrien’s choice of playlist and opened the Ladyblog. “ _Huge_ news, you two. Huge news. I already had a livestream going, even caught a cool clip of Nino turning into a real life Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but this deserves a proper article posting.”

 Adrien looked over at Marinette...and putain de _merde_ , she looked really hot. With her hair a mess, her skirt on wrong, her shirt pulled out….she looked they like had really, truly been making out for half an hour. _Why does Parallel Universe Adrien get to kiss her however much he wants while I have to go and save Stupid Paris all the time?_

 He was so busy being jealous of a version of himself that didn’t exist that Adrien didn’t hear Alya until Marinette nudged him- hard. “ _KISSING!_ Not on the lips, it looked like everywhere _but_ the lips, to be honest, and they will _have_ to admit it now. See! See, watch!”

 Adrien now saw that Alya had pulled up her livestream, in the process of editing it to a proper video post, and scrubbed the video to a moment about near the middle. Adrien saw Ladybug throwing the lucky charm into the air and saw the woosh of magic flood the Paris streets, fixing the damage and returning the civilians to their regular appearances. Then saw himself run into the frame. Ladybug spun to fist-bump him...and then they hugged.

 It had seemed natural. It _had_ been natural. But watching it as a Ladyblog video like the hundreds Adrien had seen before, he knew hugging after a fist-bump was rare to begin with. Even more rare was the way they pulled away just enough for Chat to lean in and kiss Ladybug on both cheeks, then the forehead, then down the forehead and kiss a line to her chin. Ladybug was laughing and playfully pushing him away- but much more flirtatiously than she normally would push away his intentions. And they still held one hand.

 They couldn’t hear anything the superheroes were saying, just the high-pitched squeals of Alya behind the camera. Adrien could see his love-struck face and could see Ladybug brush some hair out of his eyes. He remembered what she had said at that time- how nice it was to see his face again. And...yep, there was Chat Noir’s blush. And there was Chat Noir’s charming reply, inaudible in the tape, but burned in his memory. “Never as nice as it is to see yours every second possible, My Lady.”

 Ladybug smiled. She leaned forward. Adrien could hear Alya tense for a breath. But before Ladybug kissed him on his cheek, she froze. He remembered this, too. The last beep of the miraculous. Frantic, inaudible conversation. Chat waving her off, blowing her a kiss, _which Ladybug caught_ , and then rushing to the former Hallowmean’s side while Ladybug bounded away.

 Alya zoomed in on Chat who spoke quickly with the victim. Then he followed in the _same direction_ as Ladybug. And damn, if it wasn’t easy to catch their mistakes like this.

 Adrien glanced at Marinette. Her face was pale, eyes popped, and mouth a tiny line.

 Alya’s video froze. She spun in her chair, grinning wildly at her two friends. “Pretty great, isn’t - why do you two look like that?”

 “I’m just….in shock?” Adrien said, making up an excuse. “You know I love that couple! Yaaaay, Ladybug and Chat Noir! And they’re...wow! They’re real!”

 “No, they’re not,” Marinette immediately said. She wouldn’t look at Adrien, instead, walking over to the video. “They’re not together. They can’t be!”

 “Oh please, Marinette. You just don’t want to lose our bet.” _A bet??_

 “I never took you up on that bet, Alya,” Marinette said. _Oh. I’ll have to ask her more about that bet later._ “I’m just being realistic. I think Ladybug was just...relieved!”

 “That is not her relief reaction. I have hours of her relief reactions. That was new! That was all new! It’s a Halloween Miracle!”

 “They’re _not_ dating. You couldn’t hear a single word they were saying.”

 “Oh, it’s in the body language, Marinette. I mean, look at them,” Alya said, waving her hands towards the superheroes in embrace. “Frankly, they look like you two do- all honeymooning and stars in their eyes.”

 Adrien felt Marinette tense. In Marinette’s defense, Adrien argued, “We don’t look like that!”

 Alya spun in her seat, lips pursed in a disbelieving look. “Oh, you guys.  You don’t see yourselves. When you don’t think anybody’s looking at you? Every time we four have hung out over break you’re both all _sighs_ and _hugging_ and touching every single time you get an excuse. Absolutely like this! And anyone who pays as much attention to Chat Noir and Ladybug as I do can see a difference. This is not how they normally are. It's how _you two_ brand new lovers are.”

 “That’s...just similarities. It doesn’t mean they’re together like us,” Marinette fought. She seemed to be losing arguments and in a huff said, “Alya, you’re better than printing libel!”

 “It isn’t libel...and I’m not announcing that they _are_ together. Just that they _probably_ are together. She pointed to her drafted article’s title: “L’Halloween de L’Amour: Sont notre deux en couple? Probablement! [7] ” “It’s...a work in progress title. Although I love the first part.”

 Adrien spoke up. “What about, ‘L’Halloween de L’Amour: Le Chat a une chance de la chance”

 Alya pointed at Adrien with a grin. “That’s good!” Adrien could feel Marinette shooting daggers out of her eyes at him. “A little too Chat centered, possibly...but I love the alliteration.” She repeated it to herself. “‘Halloween of Love: The cat has a chance at luck.’ Ooh! Or what about- ‘L’Halloween de L’amour: Des bisous ou un sort.’ A play on-”

 “Des bon-bons ou un sort. Trick or treating. Clever! [8]But-”

 “Your video doesn’t prove anything!” Marinette snapped, an octave higher.

 “Woah, Marinette, girl!”

 “It doesn’t! She cares about him, he cares about her, but you...you can’t tell they’re together in the video. He never once kissed her lips. She never kissed him back! And...they run off in the same direction together a lot!”

 Alya spun back to the screen, scrubbing to the end. “The same direction? Oh, shit, I didn’t even notice that one. Thanks, Mari!”

 Adrien tried not to laugh. His girlfriend was steaming, so he shouldn’t laugh. But frankly, Adrien wanted nothing more than to be publicly dating Marinette in every sense of the word. He glanced at her and saw she wasn’t only mad...she looked stressed. “Marinette,” he said quietly, “It’s okay.”

 She spun and glared at him- hard. From the look, he knew she was mad at herself as much as she was mad at him. “I just don’t want to see Alya’s blog reduced to a gossip corner.”

 Alya shook her head. She was almost done adding text already. “With the right presentation, it’s not gossip. I can spin this any newsworthy way. But mark my words, Marinette. I _am_ spreading this. I feel bad I missed most of those Halloween transformations...this makes up for it.”

 “But they’re not...together!”

 “They’re obviously not _not_ together,” Alya disagreed. She was starting to sound a little annoyed with Marinette. “With evidence like this, I’m not believing they’re only a platonic partnership unless Ladybug herself announces it to me.”

 “Hey!” Adrien complained. He didn’t exactly want to disagree with Alya, but why leave Chat Noir out? “What about Chat?”

 Alya rolled her eyes with a smile. “Chat Noir would sooner tell me they were _married_ than tell me they were only platonic. No one believes they’re more soulmates in love than he does.”

 At that, Adrien stood a little taller and smiled out of the side of his face. This was a reputation he liked. “You’re probably right about that!”

 Marinette sighed. “I’m getting a drink.”

 Adrien looked forlornly at the computer. He would _love_ to sit and post with Alya. But instead, he said, “I’ll come with you, cookie.”

 “You two may want to tidy up your outfits before you leave,” Alya suggested, smirking at them both over her shoulder. “I see your semi went back down, Adrien, so you’re good there.” Adrien squeaked in embarrassment and covered his own crotch, even though Alya had just said he was clear to go. “But you guys look royally fucked.”

 “We didn’t…!” Adrien squeaked.

 “I’m not saying you _did_ , I’m just saying what you _look like_ , you coquins.” She pointed at the screen. “These two aren’t far behind, I’m sure!”

 Just barely loud enough for Adrien to hear, Marinette muttered, “That’s what I’m worried about.” She flattened her hair, adjusted her skirt, and pulled in her shirt. Then stomped out of the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1"Adrien...rubbed his nose with a fist": This is a wordless gesture to mean 'drunk', or 'they're really drunk!'. Really helpful when you're talking about someone whom you don't want to overhear.  
> 2“Ma belle!!! Ma vampire! You’re not a vampire, Juleka, you’re a vam-meilleure.”: "Ma Belle" means "My beauty!", and vampire in French is still just 'vampire', but pronounced as 'vam-peer'. Now the pun is in the second half of the word. 'Pire', (pronounced 'peer') means 'worst'. And 'meilleure' means 'better/best'. So to Rose, 'vampire' sounds like someone saying 'vamworst' and she's saying, 'you're the vambest!'  
> 3 à la mode: In North America, this means 'served with ice cream', like Nino says. But in French, it means 'fashionable'. So Adrien has a pun hand-delivered to him.  
> 4 que dalle: Jack Shit, which means, "absolutely nothing".  
> 5 "Have you kissed like lovers yet?": "Have you French Kissed yet?" The french don't call tongue-kissing 'french kissing' (obviously) and they don't tyyyypically call it 'with tongue', either. Adrien does, (mainly for the readers' benefit) but he and Nino know this type of kisses as called 'kissing like lovers', 'un baiser amoureux'.  
> 6 "...all the people just trying to have a good night.": Honestly, most French don't wear Halloween costumes. Some kids trick-or-treat, and they all dress up. Some people throw parties (like Alya), and they dress up. It's just another night for most French. As a quick example, my neighborhood home in the USA would get constant doorbell ringing all night from trick-or-treaters. Probably 10x an hour or so. In France, we had the doorbell ring 3 times over the course of 2 hours until my host-mom put up a sign that said they don't celebrate Halloween. Then we got nobody for the rest of the night.  
> 7 :"The Halloween of Love: Are our two a couple? Probably!"  
> 8: Alya translates Adrien's suggestion for the reader- 'The cat has a chance at luck', which works great because 'chance' and 'luck' can both be 'chance' in French. The second suggestion, 'Des Bisous ou un sort', comes from 'des bon-bons ou un sort', which is used to mean "Trick or Treat" but literally means 'candy or fate!' (Bisous is kisses, instead of candy). But since Halloween is still new, not everyone says 'des bon-bons ou un sort'...? They're still trying to figure it out. Some say 'Happy Halloween', or just go with English 'Trick or Treat'. One kid told my host mom, 'Give us candy, or we'll kill you!' so that's... Festive.


	8. Eye to Eye

Marinette stomped down the hall, away from Alya’s bedroom and closer to ‘Monster Mash’ blaring for all the other party guests. Everyone was still there- either only Alya and Nino had left, or everyone else who went akuma-chasing had returned. But they shouldn’t see her this upset. Marinette paused, leaning forward with her hands on her knees, and deeply inhaled. That was when Adrien caught up with her.  “Hey, Cookie, it’s going to be okay! They are going to find out, right? Eventually? So it’s going to be okay!”

 “It’s too soon, Adrien,” she replied under her breath. She stood up again. Marinette couldn’t stay here in the hallway anymore. Adrien didn’t understand, somehow, how important it was to prioritize the safety of their partnership over the exuberance of their relationship. Marinette headed straight for the punch bowl and drinks, feeling ready to throw back something harder than what the Césaires served for the teenagers. “It’s too soon; she’ll put the pieces together.”

 “She _definitely_ will if you keep fighting with her like that,” Adrien muttered. That comment did him no favors and Marinette sent yet another glare. The glare to kiss ratio for the night was getting dangerously high. Dangerous for _him_. And yet, Adrien just dug in. “How is it too soon, anyway? It’s been a week and a half. That’s a long time!”

 “Not really. Not when _Cookies and Lemonade_ are clearly out of the spotlight most of the time. Alya figured their relationship would start private- she told me so. So we have to have a buffer on top of a buffer.”

 “That sounds like an excuse, Marinette. Why don’t you want our friends to know? Don’t you want everyone to know?”

 Marinette poured herself a glass of juice and frowned at Adrien. “I want to keep us _safe,_ Adrien. If we aren’t safe, Paris isn’t safe. Of course I don’t want to keep this a secret, but if it takes keeping it a secret to keep you safe, I’ll keep it a secret my entire life!”

 “Your entire life?!”

 Marinette put a hand on Adrien, both to calm him and quiet him down. No attention was the best attention. “Adrien, listen to me. I said _if it keeps you safe_. That’s what I’m worried about.”

 “I’m sorry that I’ve been waiting for this moment ever since we met and actually _want_ to celebrate it,” Adrien spat sarcastically.

 “That’s not fair, Adrien.”

 “It’s not fair to me, that’s for sure.” Now he was the one glaring. “When is it going to be long enough, huh? Three weeks? Three months? Three years? Or will you keep it a secret until we have three tiny little Ladybug Juniors flying around the city with us?”

 “Adrien, don’t be ridiculous-”

 “I don’t think I’m being ridiculous, Marinette,” he replied coldly. “You _still_ don’t trust me.”

 “That’s not true, that’s not true at all! That has nothing to do with this. I trust you and I love you.”

 “You sure don’t want anyone else to know that,” he snarled.

 “Adrien, I just spent an entire week off from school doing more work than normal so that people _can_ know I love you. So that we,” she gestured between the two of them, “ _Adrien and Marinette_ , can be a public couple and not hide our relationship from the outside world. Did you forget about that? I haven’t even heard back yet!”

 “About my dad’s stupid application?” He roughly scratched his neck. “That’s just so-...we have to please my dad, we have to hide from Alya...Are we just going to have to jump through hoops and stupid expectations in every side of this relationship?”

 “Please, mon amour. I’m trying to help us be public as us _and_ safe as...well, as _all_ of us. That’s worth a few hoops, don’t you think?”

 “Marinette, one _less_ hoop is a good thing. Just let her tell them! It wouldn’t be exposing our identities. People are already assuming they’re a couple. And it will make it so much easier to not have to remember I can’t...we can’t…”

 Marinette didn’t need him to bring up the hugging and kissing. She remembered. She remembered how momentary relief at seeing her boyfriend turn human again had turned her brain to mush and almost revealed their love and potentially their identities to the world. “Adrien, the timing doesn’t work. If she announces this and then right after your _dad_ announces the same thing… euh... You just need to be patient. We do a lot of unpleasant things to do our jobs and keep everyone safe. This is just one more thing!”

 “I don’t _want_ one more unpleasant thing! I want you!”

 “If you want me long-term, you have to be more careful, Adrien.” Adrien took a step back in shock and immediately, Marinette realized what that sounded like. She quickly back-pedaled. “Oh, mon chou, I don’t mean like breaking up. I meant death!”

 Adrien scoffed. “Oh, because that’s _so much better_.”

 Under her breath and automatically, Marinette scolded, “You sure seem to think it is.”

 Adrien closed his eyes tight, his jaw set and teeth grinding. Marinette had seen that look before on Chat a few times. Chat loved Ladybug, but she certainly had a tendency to push his buttons...and it looked like Marinette finally had the same effect. “You know what? I’m really frustrated right now and need to cool off. Okay? I’ll text you when I get home.”

 “You’re leaving?”

 “No, I’m talking to Nino first before I don’t see him for the rest of the week. _Then_ I’m leaving. Tell Alya I have practice early in the morning. I don’t really care.”

 “Adrien-” Marinette reached out and grabbed his wrist. He let her hold it but didn’t return the touch. 

 “I love you, Marinette. But I’m allowed to be mad about this.” Then he pulled his hand away.

 “I love you, too.”

 Adrien leaned over and forced his cheeks against Marinette’s, kissing the air, but apparently couldn’t bring himself to kiss her cheek. 

 Then he stepped away. He moved towards the big TV where Nino had set up video games and was playing with Kim and Max. Marinette watched him go, trying to catch her breath.

 What had just happened?

 Were they fighting now?

 Marinette drained her cup of juice and poured herself another one. Her eyes were still on Adrien. He didn’t even sit down; instead, Nino stood up. She frowned. He really was leaving the party soon. Their first party together and Marinette would be leaving alone.

 Wasn’t that just great.

 

\---

 

Once Adrien officially left, Marinette didn’t feel much like staying either. But she had promised to help Alya clean up from the time they started putting the party together. So she spent a lot more of the party drawing in a corner with Nathanael than she otherwise might have, as well as quite a bit of time commiserating with Tikki in the bathroom. At least her kwami was on Marinette’s side! Although, as Marinette remembered in Tikki’s voice, “You two are a team. There aren’t  _ sides _ .”

 Adrien’s text wasn’t exactly warm or teamlike. He had typed “chez moi”, followed by a separate “bon nuit” [1] and nothing else. No sweet goodnight poem as she’d gotten used to. No details about his trip home like he liked to share. Marinette’s reply, just slightly more verbose, had been left on ‘Read’.

 The party finally wound down, Alix the very last guest minus Marinette and Nino to leave. When Alix waved goodbye to them, her carved Jack-o-Lantern in hand, Alya collapsed onto the couch. “ _What a party!_ ” she sighed. She yanked off her tiny blonde wig and unsnapped the corset back, groaning in relief. “I looked hot, but _ugh_  that costume was a cage! Nino, dou-dou, thank you for helping host while I was working.”

 Nino leaned on the couch, smiling down at Alya. He untied the mask from around his eyes, but the rest of his costume was mostly just a shirt and shell backpack. No huge relief for him there. “Not a problem, dude. You know your man has got your back.” Marinette caught their loving glances and sighed herself in admiration. “But tell me your news! We were so busy with the party I haven’t got a chance to check the blog. Did you get a good shot of me transforming?” He quickly spun around to face Marinette. “Marinette! You missed it. I turned into the _real_ Mikey!”

 Marinette pulled up a chair. Nino was right- she did miss most of his joining the fight. Just not because she was sequestered in a room making out. “What happened? When did you two leave the party?”

 Alya leaned forward to join the conversation and explain. “So pretty soon after you and Adrien ran off to get kissy-faced, I got an akuma alert. I thought about being a good host and just staying home-”

 “-which would have been safer-“

 “-but then I read the akuma’s powers. Like I told you before I showed you and Adrien the video, he could turn people into their costumes. Which is a freaking awesome power, right?! I had to get that for my blog! So Nino and I told everyone we had to get more ice. Manman stayed with the party guests and we ran off. It was insane, Marinette. Insane! People everywhere, turning into all sorts of crazy things. Nino got hit near the end of the battle... I stayed away from the candy. No real life Majestia for me. As awesome as it would be to be a superhero- since I’ve obviously never, ever been one- I wanted to film.”

 “That’s so crazy!” Marinette said. She looked between the two, trying to play just the right amount of shock. “So were you really Michelangelo, or did you just look like him?”

 “Naw, dude, I was _really him_. I still had all my memories and most of my thoughts, but I was thinking about Pizza all the time, suddenly knew how to use nun-chucks… It was insane.” 

 Marinette nodded in understanding. She thought Adrien had been acting a little more like a grumpy-puss than normal when he was a cat. That must have been why. “So...you filmed the transformations?” Marinette asked, bringing it back to Alya.

 “Not a lot of them,” Alya admitted sadly. “By the time I read my alert and Nino and I got out of the apartment, Ladybug was already working pretty hard on him. Chat Noir wasn’t really there, turns out because he had already got transformed. That was super cute, by the way. He was this small little black cat. A real black cat. Nino got hit right at the end...but he got to help Ladybug, didn’t you, dou-dou?” Alya asked, looking up at Nino. Her boyfriend grinned and nodded, twirling his fake nun-chuck in the air and hitting himself in the head. Alya guffawed at him. “And that’s why you’re not a superhero any other day of the week.”

 “Hey!”

 “Love you,” Alya teased, sticking out her tongue. “But Marinette, you already saw the best part. Nino, you haven’t seen this yet! Let me pull up the Ladyblog…” she pulled out her phone and opened up the newest article. Too curious to stay seated, Marinette walked over to look over Nino’s shoulder. She had picked Adrien’s title- _‘L’Halloween de L’Amour: Le Chat a une chance de la chance’._ “Watch. This.” Alya clicked the video clip, which picked up right as Ladybug and Chat Noir ran together to fist-bump.

 Marinette couldn’t bear watching this a second time...but she couldn’t tear her eyes away, either. 

 She watched as she and Chat embraced, as Chat kissed all over her face, and as she looked at him with the sweetest, most loving face Marinette had seen wearing the Ladybug mask. Nino gripped Alya’s hands in delight after they ran off together. “Alya! This is incredible!”

 Alya squealed in delight, turning her entire body to face her boyfriend. “I know! Isn’t it great?! I was a little farther away from their voices than I would like, but it kind of adds an air of secrecy to it, right?”

 “An air of intimacy,” Nino agreed fervently.

 “Absolutely. I’m just really pleased. I know it isn’t a relationship reveal, but it’s a step. It reminds the public to stay invested, and it should drive a lot of hits to the blog. So when I get that exclusive interview...we’ll all be ready!” Alya flipped her hair over her shoulder, continuing passionately, “It’s really an art. I don’t get to control Ladybug and Chat Noir- I wouldn’t dream of it! But I do control the public view of them. We need an ebb and flow, a give and take...keep the public interested and wanting more. So this silent video where they don’t _quite_ kiss?” She squealed and jumped in her seat. “This is just what we need right now! And Kim is going to shit his pants.”

 Kim? “Why Kim?” Marinette asked.

 Alya turned to Marinette. “Oh, that bet you turned down? I convinced Kim to bet against me.” She grinned toothily. “His money is on a 2019 public relationship reveal. Mine is, as I told you, before January 1st. Kim will bet against _anything_.”

 Nino pointed back at the phone, bringing Alya’s attention back. “Right, but this still doesn’t count as a full reveal. And Kim will know that.”

 “Oh, it’s not. Frankly, we’re not ready for that anyway. The audience needs more priming...this just helps get them invested. We need to be able to _hear_ them say the words. And you can put your money on this: I’m going to be the one who gets it on tape!” She tapped her phone enthusiastically. “This is step number one, and it’s _such a good fuckin’ video!_ ”

 Alya turned around, grinning at Marinette as she continued to tell Nino, “But _Marinette_ hates it.”

 “What?! No I don’t!”

 “She totally does!” Alya turned back to Nino, throwing a thumb in Marinette’s direction. “She was going on and on about how this doesn’t prove anything, not even that they like each other.”

 “Oh, come on, Marinette,” Nino said, gesturing towards her phone. “They’re mooning over each other! There’s as much tension between them as you and _your_ boyfriend.”

 Marinette stiffened again. Would people stop comparing them?! “Excuse me, but Adrien and I are a _real couple_. Ladybug and Chat Noir have said over and over again that they’re not together!”

 “See what I mean?” Alya asked, clearly amused. “I think she’s just jealous and doesn’t know how to express it.”

 “Jealous? Jealous of whom?”

 Alya rolled her eyes. “Please, Marinette. Don’t pretend you’re not totally crushing on Chat Noir.”

 Marinette choked on her spit. Where did _that_ come from? Marinette had no interest in Chat Noir until….okay, she may have started to like him a little bit more than normal before she realized Chat Noir was Adrien, but... “I do not have a crush on Chat Noir!”

 “Mmmhmm. And so you saved all those Chat Noir ass pics from my blog because….you wanted to have a reference to make skin-tight leather pants?” Alya accused. Nino snickered next to her.

 Marinette, on the other hand, felt her face getting hot. She started to wave her hands around. “I am not crushing on Chat Noir! I have a boyfriend! I love my boyfriend, and he is plenty hot, thank you very much! He’s the only beau gosse [2] I need!”

 Alya pointed an accusing finger at Marinette with a wicked smile. “So you admit Chat Noir is a beau gosse!”

 Taking a step back, Marinette looked around the room as if it would offer an escape. “Well, I...he...so?! I’m taken, not blind!”

 Alya grinned in pride. Her finger dropped and her voice got a lot softer. “I’m just teasing you, girl. So you got a celebrity crush! We all have them. Only difference is you’ve actually talked to _this_ rock star. He’s not going to be a problem, right?”

 “No, absolutely not,” Marinette answered stiffly. “Chat Noir is pénible.” Maybe that was an over correction for a superhero with whom she wasn’t even known to have regular communication. It was just too easy to slip into the habit of denying to Chat himself that she could ever like him back. “Euh, and...I could never date a superhero. It’s hard enough dating a supermodel!”

 Nino chuckled. “I wish Adrien had realized that earlier. Maybe we wouldn’t have had to wait two years for him and Marinette to finally come to their senses and get together.” He turned to Alya, nudging her shoulder. “You know what those two should do?” He looked back at Marinette. “Do you keep in touch with Clara Nightingale?”

 “The pop star? Why?”

 “Yeah, from the music video. Remember when you and Adrien were going to be the Ladybug and Chat Noir in her video?”

 How could she forget? Marinette looked around and bit her lip. “Uh. Well, that didn’t happen, you know? We did the thing with all the Parisian extras instead, remember?”

 “Yeah, but...you two looked good in the costumes-”

 “We don’t look anything like them!”

 “If she still has them, you could get Adrien all dressed up as Chat Noir…” Nino waggled his eyebrows. It was now Alya’s turn to snicker, knowing where he was going. “You dress up as his old amoureuse[3], Ladybug...you two could have some _fun_ , I bet.” 

 Marinette’s face flushed with heat. She could hear her friends laughing and was sure she was as red as the bespoken Ladybug suit. It was one thing to make out with Chat Noir, but remembering Adrien as his sweet, boyish self in that tight costume, one that could actually come off if she wanted it to….Marinette’s vision clouded.

 “Nino, you broke her!” Alya shrieked with laughter. She stood up from the chair, red hair tumbling over her bare shoulders and she grabbed Marinette’s jacket sleeve. “Let’s sit you down, my poor innocent pastry.” Marinette’s body followed the bidding of Alya, sitting down and suddenly holding a glass of water. She listened to Alya command, “drink”, and did so. “But don’t get too comfortable. We are all here to help clean up, not _just_ tease you.” Alya rubbed Marinette’s shoulder as her head started to clear. Then she left her to make Nino stand up. “You too, Turtle Man. Let’s take advantage before you have to leave me for half a week.”

 “Don’t remind me,” Nino groaned. He stood up and quickly pecked Alya. “It’s going to suck.”

 “Aren’t you only gone until school starts back up on Monday?” Marinette asked from her seat.

 “Yeah. But I’m going to my pépère’s house. And he doesn’t know I’m dating Alya. Pépère[4] thinks one shouldn’t date until they’re sixteen.”

 “But Alya just turned sixteen!”

 Alya pulled Nino’s head down and gave him a noogie, making him shriek. “Yeah, but I’m a cougar. He’s not turning sixteen until January!” She released her boyfriend, smirking at him. Then turned to Marinette and dropped her smile. “So his Grandfather can’t know we’re dating or he would freak out. Obviously Nino’s parents know the truth, but apparently his Grandfather is _really_ scary.”

 “Really scary,” Nino said with wide eyes. “Like, Le Papillon scary.” Somehow, Marinette doubted that. “So she’s still going to call me and stuff, but I have to pretend we’re just friends. And Marinette...you don’t get it, dude. You don’t get how hard it is to pretend I’m _not_ dating this gorgeous, smart, professional, incredible young woman.”

 “Aww, Nino…” Alya purred, snaking her hand up his arm. “How much do I owe you for that?”

 “I’m serious!” Nino laughed, brushing Alya off. “I’m so used to everyone knowing how together we are, and I’m so into you, it’s hard to remember how to turn that off. Even just four days.”

 Alya clicked her tongue affectionately and ran her thumb under his hairline. Then she turned back to Marinette, remembering they had an audience. Marinette, who was considering just how hard it was to be so into someone and try to remember to turn it off. Hadn’t she failed at that herself just a few hours earlier? “I mean, you kind of get it, no? You two aren’t officially-officially dating until Adrien’s crazy dad says so.”

 Marinette cleared her throat. She hadn’t realized it was choking with emotion. “Yeah, you’re right. We can’t be a couple in public until I hear back about my application.”

 “Dude, that sucks. You’ve been waiting for this for two years! And when you know it’s all good, when you know he _actually_ likes you back, you’re finally allowed to say and do what you want to do because it isn’t a secret crush anymore, but you still can’t go for it? At least not, like, outside of your friends’ houses and stuff?” Nino shook his head sympathetically. “That sucks.” He gave a wide gesture. “Of course, you two _are_ dating, it’s just not in the wide public yet. But it’s still hard. It’s hard to hide love and try to not be yourself when you just really want to be. That’s why I’m complaining about this week.”

 In Marinette’s ears, Nino’s words rang back through the flashes of her argument with Adrien. _He’d_ been waiting for this for two years, too. He’d wanted to date Ladybug for two years. And here she was, in love with Chat Noir, and he wasn’t allowed the satisfaction. The words of Alya and Nino faded into mutters and background noise to her thoughts. 

 “Marinette, hey,” Alya said, voice clipped and sharp. 

 Marinette swung her head over to her friend. “What?”

 “I said, when do you find out if Monsieur Agreste approves?”

 “Soon, I hope,” Marinette said. “The letter said about 5 business days, which would be this Friday or earlier.” Both her friends enthusiastically responded their relief on her behalf. Marinette tried to force a smile just as happy. But now she was thinking of Adrien and how upset he’d been... _his_ relief wasn’t until...well, Marinette didn’t even know when. When would it be safe to say they were together without drawing more attention and scrutiny? Was it even harder for Adrien to not have a deadline?

 Maybe she was too hard on him. _I should have been kinder...he isn’t trying to be difficult. He just wants to be together, really together._

 Alya misunderstood Marinette’s downcast eyes and walked over, rubbing her sleeve. “Hey, girl. It’s okay. He’s going to love you! Who could ever reject Marinette Dupain-Cheng? You’re a parents’ _dream_.”

 “Especially if that parent is a fashion designer. Honestly, Gabriel should just be worried you’re going to take over his empire!” Nino winked at Marinette. He started to pull down ghosts from the ceiling.

 The room was quiet enough to just barely hear “Thriller” playing in the background. Marinette helped carry leftover snacks to the kitchen and throw crumbs and wrappers in the trash. Her mind was on Adrien, their fight, and how close Ladybug and Chat Noir were to revealing themselves tonight. Marinette knew in her heart that they were doing the right thing. Especially once her relationship with Adrien went truly public, all eyes would be on their relationship, their mannerisms, and their timeline. Throw in Paris’s favorite Starcrossed Teenage Heroes and it wouldn’t even be a day before Paris-Match and all the other news outlets tried connecting the dots.

 Maybe things would be different if her boyfriend wasn’t world-famous teenage heartthrob Adrien Agreste. She’d never tell him that, though. But they probably should talk over their hurt feelings with this whole thing.

 Marinette was on her third trip of cleaning up wrappers when she got the guts to speak up again. Alya and Nino had been filling the silence with easy chatter about everything and nothing. “Hey, guys,” she started. They turned to her expectantly. “What was your very first fight about?”

 Alya laughed, knowing the answer immediately. “You!”

 Surprised, Marinette stepped back. “Me?”

 Nino groaned, putting a hand against his forehead. “Ugh, I totally forgot. Yeah. Do you remember when we got together and came and told you the good news? And I said I’d be happy to help you with the mystery guy you liked?”

 “Oh, yeah, I do.”

 “Alya wasn’t supposed to tell me it was Adrien. Girl-code, right? And I was apparently super obvious.” He shrugged with a smile tugging on his lips. Clearly, the fight had been so long ago, no hard feelings remained on either side. “She was super pissed at me. Thought I was risking your friendship. But come on, meuf! Your friendship could survive a bulldozer!”

 “Boys can be bulldozers,” Alya told him, warningly. “Nino kept fighting back, saying he only wanted to help. I didn’t want to put a boy, especially a new one, over my best friend, so I was being stubborn, too. It was so long ago I don’t remember a lot of the details.”

 “How did you get over it?”

 Alya and Nino glanced at each other. Nino was the one to answer, still looking at his girlfriend. “We sat down and listened to each other. We both apologized for screwing up. And most important, we didn’t do it again.”

 Alya pointed at herself. “I got better at keeping my secrets and when I did share something with him, I was clear about who already knew, who _could_ know, et tout le bataclan[5].”

 Nino joined in. “And I sealed my lips. I just assume if Alya tells me something, it doesn’t go anywhere unless she says so. Plus, I respect your relationship with hers above all else.”

 “Sorry I caused a fight,” Marinette apologized.

 With a wave and a raspberry, Alya pushed the apology aside. “Don’t worry about it, girl! First of many. It taught us how to handle problems, which is very important in a good relationship. You’ll see. You can get an attitude sometimes...I love you, but it’s true. You’re hot headed and he’s a dramatic little bitch. Adrien and you are going to get in a fight sooner or later. Figure out how to solve them and they won’t seem like such a big deal.”

 Marinette nodded. It clearly wasn’t a one-size fits all answer, but she was very glad Alya hadn’t just told her to have a make-up make-out. Adrien was worth more than a short-term fix. 

 Nino’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and swore. “One minute. It’s my maman.” He picked up the phone and started talking, walking out of the room. “Yes, Maman? ...Yes, Maman. ...Uh huh...I know, Maman. ...Yes, very fun. Alya did a great job. I know, Maman. I’ll tell you when I get home, Maman…”

 Alya watched after him. “Ah, merdre. I hope he doesn’t have to go yet,” she said softly. 

 “You’re gonna miss him,” Marinette sang in a teasing voice.

 “Damn straight I am.”

 “He’s a good kid.”

 Alya looked at Marinette and nodded. “We snagged the best ones. You’re staying over tomorrow, right?”

 “Planning on it! My parents are coming over for dinner and everything, right?”

 “Yeah, after the cemetery and Mass. Maybe you and I can get out of Mass and say we’re babysitting Ella and Etta- what do you think?”

 Marinette laughed. “I never go to Mass, so my soul’s already damned, probably. I’m good with whatever.”

 “Oh, please. No father would ever reject you and no God would ever damn you. You’re my superhero, remember? Best person in the world, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It’s the kids like me who need the extra help.” She shuddered. “Maybe _you_ should babysit and _I_ should go to Mass.”

 Nino came back into the room with a wide smile. “Maman says I can stay to help clean up, but she’s driving over to pick me up in twenty minutes.”

 Alya’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. But that was nothing compared to her expression when Marinette spoke up. “You two say goodbye in Alya’s room. I’ll clean up in here.”

 Alya squealed, bouncing over to Marinette and squeezing her tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best pirate ever!” She leaned in and gave big kisses to both of Marinette’s cheeks, beaming at her friend. “See, this is why you’re going straight to heaven. Now if you don’t mind, I have something to do.” She winked, squeezed Marinette’s hands again, and grabbed Nino’s hand instead. They walked briskly to Alya’s room.

Marinette watched them leave and chuckled. At least  _ someone _ would get action in that room tonight. Ooh, Adrien would be jealous. She knew, because Marinette certainly was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1“chez moi”, followed by a separate “bon nuit” : "Home" followed by a seperate "goodnight". ('Chez' means 'the place of ____', so 'chez moi' means 'my home', and if you ever see a restaurant called something like 'Chez George' it means 'George's place'.)  
> 2"beau gosse": hottie  
> 3"amoureuse": technically means 'lover', but it's also used a lot with crush, significant other, romantic interest...saying 'lover' is too strong to be a true translation for what Nino means, but 'romantic interest' wouldn't quite work. They don't really use 'crush', either.  
> 4"Pépère": Grandpa  
> 5"et tout le bataclan": "yadda yadda yadda", "the whole shebang", "the whole kit and kaboodle"... basically it means "more to say but I'm not saying it"


	9. When a Cat and a Ladybug Quarrel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hello Bon Toussaint! Today's chapter takes place TODAY!!!! :D (It, um, would already be over because it's almost midnight in Paris as this publishes, but it's the same day!)  
> Also, I loved loved loved the comment discussions from last chapter. Yes, they already had their first fight. This is a story about compromises and how to manage a relationship as influential as theirs...some initial fighting is going to happen! You're all such smart readers. I know I said that last story and we have a slightly smaller readership this time...I'm glad those of you are reading are so thoughtful about their relationship. Time for these kids to get as introspective as y'all!  
> Edit: And THANK YOU AGAIN to Komo_Pineconeseed for helping correct my Mandarin on this. You are a treasure and a gem and I ADORE YOU!

Thursday was Toussaint[1]. And while church bells rang through the city and Parisians darted from cemetery to family gatherings, Adrien sat at home. “Death” was a difficult topic in their family. With his mother’s disappearance, Adrien had no idea if she was due to be remembered with the dead, or just...missing. And so, life in the Agreste household proceeded almost normally.

 Adrien’s bodyguard had taken the holiday to be with family. Nathalie was there, but almost everyone else on Gabriel’s staff had the holiday off, so it wasn’t like they could completely pretend things were normal. But that didn’t mean Gabriel wasn’t determined to try.

 And so at his normal time, Adrien opened the door for his Chinese teacher. But instead of M. Li, he saw...“Master Fu!”

 “Good afternoon, Adrien,” Master Fu said with a bow. Respectfully, Adrien returned the bow. “Your regular teacher has taken today off for the holiday.” His eyes were sparkling. “I was delighted to take the opportunity to fill in.”

 Adrien was delighted, too. He could really use someone to talk to! Plagg hadn’t been the least bit understanding of his fight with Marinette and Adrien couldn’t really talk to Nino about it, even if he was in town. Once the door shut and Master Fu was in Adrien’s bedroom, he said again,  “Master Fu! Welcome!”

 Hearing the name of his guardian, Plagg flew out of Adrien’s pocket. “Hello, Master Fu!” he chorused.

 “Hello, Plagg. You look as if you’ve eaten well, as always,” Master Fu noticed, poking Plagg’s stomach with his finger. “Wayzz, would you like to spend some time with your friend?”

 Master Fu’s own turtle kwami flew out of his jacket and over to Plagg. “Hello!”

 “Wayzz, you and I have _so_ much to catch up on. Care for some...what is that garbage you eat again?”

 The two kwamis flew away towards Adrien’s desk and his small desk-toys, chattering happily.

 With their kwamis, away, Adrien helped his substitute Chinese teacher get situated and placed their books on the table. Marinette had been the only thing on Adrien’s mind all day, but at Master Fu’s insistence, they began with reviewing what Adrien had been studying over the past weeks and did some practice drills. Finally, Master Fu smiled wide. “Okay, Adrien. Your handle on the future tense is getting very good. I think we can spend the rest of the day practicing conversational Mandarin.” He winked at Adrien. Adrien’s heart picked up and he sat up a little taller, smiling wide. This was when he and Master Fu could talk about all things Miraculous. Or, In today’s case, Marinette. Master Fu switched from French into Chinese. “How are you?”

 “I’m doing okay. I have some news to tell you, Master Fu!”

 “Oh? What is your news?”

 “I found my Ladybug!”

 Master Fu smiled. He closed his eyes and nodded. “Yes. So I’ve heard. Ladybug spoke with me last week. She was very excited.”

 Adrien leaned forward. “She was?”

 Master Fu laughed, a hoo-hoo sort of laugh. “My boy, ladybug was _ecstatic_ to know he was you. Ecstatic, which means very excited. Repeat, Adrien?”

 “Ecstatic.”

 “The entire sentence.”

 “Ladybug was ecstatic to know I was me.” As he repeated the sentence in Chinese, Adrien felt the weight of the sentence. It was true, wasn’t it? She was truly delighted. “When did she tell you?”

 “On Thursday, exactly one week ago. She apologized that she knew your secret, but she was very excited. I do not think Marinette could imagine a better black cat to her ladybug than you, dear boy.” He winked again at Adrien. Thursday. So they’d already had their first date! “That is very big news!”

 “It is. Did she tell you anything else new about it?”

 Master Fu looked thoughtful. He tapped his chin. “We discussed your kwami, we discussed the nature of secrets...but no, not much else. She did seem to be holding something back from me- your ladybug is not the best at concealing her feelings. But she revealed no other secrets.”

 Adrien was a little surprised. But then again, his father had insisted they keep their relationship private. Marinette hadn’t done so around friends (and he knew her parents knew), but maybe she was better around other adults? But Adrien wanted Master Fu to know! He wanted _everyone_ to know, and who better than the keeper of secrets himself? “If that’s true...I have news for you, too!”

 “Oh, really?”

 “My other news is also about Marinette, actually.” Adrien could feel his own face flushing. He was mad at her, he knew in his head, but he could not stop his heart from loving her, and so he started to smile without ever wanting to. “Marinette and I are dating!”

 “You are?!” Master Fu responded. He sounded genuinely surprised and delighted. “Congratulations! My ladybug and my black cat! Together at last. I am so pleased!”

 “Oh, good!” Adrien exhaled a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “So you’re...not mad that we know about each other? And that we’re...dating?”

 Master Fu shook his head with a wide smile. “This is the way of the ladybug and black cat, often. And I could not be happier. You will find strength and confidence more now than before. Repeat that future tense, please?”

 Adrien smiled. He nodded. “You will find strength and confidence more now than before.”

 “In the ‘I’ form, please. Then once for Marinette, then once in the ‘we’ form.”

 Adrien took a breath. “I will find strength and confidence more now than before.” It felt true. “She will find strength and confidence more now than before.” His heart warmed. He could help His Lady just by loving her! “We will find strength and confidence more now than before.” Adrien smiled sweetly. They’d help each other.

 Master Fu shared his smile and nodded. “Very good. How recent is this development? Meaning, when did this happen?”

 “We had our first date thirteen days ago and became boyfriend and girlfriend. But my father doesn’t want it to be official until he approves. I think that’s why she didn’t tell you yet.”

 “That makes sense,” Master Fu said with a nod so deep, it was almost a bow. “Marinette respects your father greatly. She may not agree with him often, but I can sense a deep respect. So then, how is your relationship doing?”

 Adrien’s smile finally faltered. “We had a fight yesterday, actually.”

 “Why did you fight?”

 “Marinette doesn’t want the public to know that Ladybug and Chat Noir are dating. Not right now, since they _do_ know that Marinette and Adrien are dating. Or...at least….once my father allows us to be official.” Adrien rolled his eyes. “And yesterday, after an akuma attack, we were so relieved that we were okay that I kissed her face and she let me. Not her lips, just her face. But our friend...a...um, person who tells news?”

 “A person who tells news- a journalist.”

 Adrien grinned and pulled out his vocabulary book he wrote down the pin yin for journalist and had Master Fu check his spelling. Then Master Fu wrote in the Mandarin character for ‘journalist’. Next to it, instead of a French translation, Adrien wrote “Alya 是 一位 记者”- _Alya is a journalist_.

 Adrien continued his story. “Our journalist friend wrote an article saying that Chat Noir and Ladybug might be dating. It doesn’t say we _are_...just that we _might be_. And Marinette got really mad about it. She doesn’t understand how badly I want to be public. This relationship is all I’ve wanted since I met Ladybug. She hurt my feelings.”

 “One cannot have a fight with only one person,” Master Fu said. “She may have hurt your feelings, but it is not ‘a fight’ unless you have also hurt her.” Adrien paused. He was thinking about Master Fu’s words for so long, his teacher said, “Do you understand? Should I rephrase myself?”

 “No, I understood your Chinese. I’m just thinking.” He looked back up at Master Fu. “I guess I hurt her because...I didn’t care as much about Ladybug and Chat Noir’s relationship being a secret. I _want_ the public to know about us. I want to celebrate our relationship. So, I didn’t take it seriously like she did and I was even ….a little excited to be known as a couple.” He sighed. “Since she is not excited, maybe I thought she wasn’t happy.”

 “You worry the ladybug is not excited to date the black cat?” Master Fu asked in clarification.

 “Maybe a little bit.”

 Master Fu shook his head. “She admires you very much, Adrien. She has always praised Chat Noir and defended you. She has even defended you from me at times, when I’ve tried to keep secrets from you. And as Adrien...she was ready to risk you being _Le Papillon_ to protect Adrien’s honor.”

 Adrien looked up, eyes shining in surprise. “When was _that_?”

 “I think you should let your girlfriend tell you those stories, my student,” Master Fu replied, eyes shining again. “Now...tell me, why do _you_ think Marinette wants to wait?”

 “Because if we go public at the same time in both forms, people notice.”

 “Hmm. Practice your future tense again.”

 Adrien sighed. “If we go public, people _will_ notice.”

 “Much better. And I believe correct as well. But...do you think that is Marinette’s only reason?”

 “Yes?”

 Master Fu chuckled. “Ladybug is young. She can make rash decisions and poor choices. But when she cares about something, she thinks it through. I believe she has more than one reason to delay your public relationship.”

 “Like what?”

 “That is another thing I believe you should learn on your own. You will be able to celebrate your relationship in public one day, when you both _and_ the relationship are ready, but rushing that day will only hurt your relationship. You cannot pull on a seedling to help it grow. Repeat that proverb?”

 “You cannot pull on a seedling to help it grow.” Adrien sighed. “I’m not sure I understand.”

 “You will,” Master Fu promised. “You are still young. This is new to you, Adrien. Time will be your teacher.”

 Wayzz appeared over Master Fu’s shoulder. “Excuse me, Master?” he asked in Chinese, as to not change the lingual flow of their conversation.

 “Yes, Wayzz?”

 “Mademoiselle Sancœur is on her way.” In response, Master Fu nodded and opened his front pocket. Wayzz flew in and Adrien saw Plagg fly into his trash can.

 Just moments later, Nathalie knocked at Adrien’s door and let herself in. Master Fu stood and bowed to her, greeting her in French, “Good afternoon, Mademoiselle Sancœur.”

 “Good afternoon, Maitre Fu. Adrien will need to end his Chinese lesson a few minutes early today. Monsieur Ageste needs to speak with him and has a free moment right now.”

 Adrien stood up so quickly, his books fell onto the floor. “Father wants to see me?”

 “Yes, Adrien. Right away. You will have a few moments to collect your homework assignment.” She turned expectantly towards Master Fu.

 “Yes, Adrien.” Master Fu continued in French for the benefit of Nathalie, whom he could see was taking notes. “Your future tense has improved, so I would like you to begin working on the next set of exercises in the book. I have one more bit of wisdom, Adrien. Yù bàng xiāng zhēng, yú rén dé lì. ‘When a snipe and clam quarrel, the fisherman benefits.’ It is from an old Chinese proverb, one you should know. I will find it for you in your book, mark it, and leave it as your homework. I want you to read the proverb, define any words you were unfamiliar with, and write three paragraphs on how you can apply the proverb to your life.”

 His eyes glittered, the way they did when he was discussing something new and important within the realm of the Miraculous. This must be for Chat Noir. Maybe in regards to him and Marinette, too! He nodded, genuinely excited for his Chinese homework. “Thank you, Master Fu. I’ll see you soon.” They bowed to each other. Then, Nathalie put her hand on Adrien’s back and led him out the door.

 The two of them walked down the long, silent, empty hallway. Nathalie’s heels clicked and echoed in the halls. Adrien turned to her. “What does Father want to discuss?”

 “I’m sure you’ll find out soon, Adrien.”

 “Okay.” More silence. “Hey, Nathalie...why aren’t spending time with your family today?”

 Nathalie didn’t even look at Adrien as she replied, “Si[2], I am.”

 Adrien’s eyes widened. But she _hadn’t_ taken the day off. Nathalie considered them her family? He started to smile. That made sense, he supposed. _She’s with us every day of the week, she lives in the house, she is always so affectionate to Father, she attends more of my events than even Father…_ His smile now spread across Adrien’s face. “Nathalie, I had no idea!”

 She looked at him now, confusion in her eyes.

 “I consider you family, too. I mean,” he laughed, “I definitely spend more time with you than anyone else in the household. You’re kind of like...kind of like an aunt, or a parent. You’re as much a parent as my Father,” he said, mentally adding, _maybe more_.

 The confusion left Nathalie’s face, replaced by surprise and a little bit of sadness. “Oh...Adrien.” Her lips tugged up just barely. “You’re a very sweet young man, Adrien. But I…” her voice trailed off. They had reached her boss’s office. Nathalie paused before opening the door. She looked over Adrien again and then looked down at her tablet. She tapped a few things Adrien couldn’t see, then sighed and looked back at him. “I think you ought to see what your father needs.” She opened the door and waved Adrien into the room.

 Gabriel Agreste stood at his large tablet, sliding things around. He looked up, briefly noticed his son, looked back down, and clicked a few new things on his tablet. “Adrien. Please come here. We have a personal matter to discuss.”

 Adrien hoped that was true. They discussed personal matters far too rarely.

 Cautiously, Adrien walked over to Gabriel. As he walked, he heard Nathalie call out from behind him. “Monsieur?”

 Gabriel looked up at his name. “Yes, Nathalie?”

 “I have a change in dinner plans over an important personal matter. I will dine here tonight after all and only excuse myself for aperitif.”

 “Very well. Let the kitchen know.”

 “Of course.”

 “Will you be rescheduling your dinner with Monsieurs Sancœurs?”

 “If possible, Monsieur.”

 “You are free to do so.”

 Nathalie nodded. The conversation was so quick and formal, Adrien didn’t have time to register surprise at any change in plans, or at the potential existence of ‘Monsieurs Sancœurs’. Nathalie left the room and shut the door behind them, providing Adrien with even more alone time with his father.

 When he approached the tablet, he could see Gabriel was looking at digital files of more designs. They looked good. They actually reminded him of Marinette’s style. A few pieces looked very familiar- he thought he noticed her Sunset sundress. And- wait, that was his Ladybug bag! These _were_ Marinette’s designs! “Did you finish looking at Marinette’s application?”

 “Yes, I did. Your friend truly does have excellent design sense. I am glad to see her bowler hat creation was not merely a fluke.”

 Adrien stood taller in pride. “You remembered that?”

 “Of course. I make a concentrated effort to remember all the burgeoning talent in Paris and my contest winners. I actually have a look in mind for a future show that can incorporate the hat… She has originality and functionality in her designs. Would you be interested in my thoughts?”

 Adrien’s heart picked up. “I would be very interested, monsieur!”

 Gabriel clicked a few designs. First, he pulled up four concept drawings, clearly referencing winter, spring, summer, and fall. “I expected the seasonal designs to be full of sundresses and color coded to match the trees. I give this prompt to most of my aspiring interns. She surprised me...you’ll notice all four are nearly gender non-specific.  In fact, she included suggested accessories that could change the look and potentially emphasize masculinity or femininity at the wearer’s choice. She went for a more practical approach to each season as opposed to haute couture. Surprisingly practical for what was merely a concept. And yet…” he swiped the four designs off the screen, coming to a drawing of a gown that made Adrien gasp. The gown billowed behind the cartoon model, fabric swathes criss-crossing up her body and narrowing until it was a spiderweb of thin straps over the chest and shoulders. The gown was colored in a deep navy blue with purple ombre flowing through the fabric, emphasizing all the many places the fabric crossed over itself. It was dotted with white sparkles. The gown was shorter in the front, exposing pure white pumps with stoned toes that matched the fascinator; a pure-white head-piece with dark purple and blue gems drawn on, sitting on top of black hair.

 “She looks like a galaxy!” Adrien gasped.

 “Yes- I believe this is her more daring, artistic ambition,” Gabriel agreed. “Wise to include it. She included notes on fabrics and materials, which were interesting to read. She clearly thinks them through.”

 “Marinette thinks _everything_ through,” Adrien agreed, proud.

 Gabriel looked over at his son, slightly smiling. He was amused. “Then I think you’ll be particularly intrigued with this design…” he swiped past a few other of Marinette’s looks, including a photo of a jacket she made for her father to model, and ended up on one that would remind Adrien of _his_ father. A photo of a long white dress on a mannequin. The red-embellished bottom of the dress flowed outwards in a mermaid fashion. The silver bodice was tightly laced and topped with a delicately thin candy-cane striped neckline. “What do you think of this, Adrien?” Gabriel asked.

 “It...it’s, um…” He met his father’s bemused expression and glanced down at Gabriel’s outfit. Then, Adrien nearly jumped. “It’s you! She made you into a dress!”

 Gabriel’s laugh was dry, like he hadn’t used it in ages. “She did! I have to admit...I’ve never seen _that_ attempted.” He zoomed in on the neckline. “I doubt it’s something I would ever market...but it shows a great deal about her ability to apply inspiration effectively. Bold, brave move to mimic my look. She has another bold and brave mimic…”

 He skimmed past a few more concepts and photos, making brief comments about things he liked and a few comments about things he didn’t, before stopping on Adrien’s purse. Well, Chat Noir’s purse. But Adrien as Chat Noir was the one holding it in the picture- at least his hands. Marinette had used a limited focus, so Chat Noir’s face was blurry in the background. He felt a cold sweat on the back of his neck and was grateful Marinette hadn’t used another picture where his father could look closer at Chat Noir.

 “...Notice how well she mimicked the Ladybug mask and how the black belt calls to...ah, what was his name?” Gabriel glanced at Adrien, carefully watching his son’s face. “Chat Noir?”

 Adrien gulped. “Y-yes. It’s really good. I saw the original at Alya’s birthday party….this is a copy.”

 “Hmm, yes. And how does Marinette Dupain-Cheng have such a close relationship with Chat Noir that he would _model_ for her?”

 “Ha hahhhh ha hah, would you really call that modeling, Father? H-he doesn’t look like a professional model at all.

 “You don’t think so?”

 “No, I don’t.”

 “Alright. But still...tell me, how does Mademoiselle get such a famous ‘amateur’ model?”

 “Uh...Al-Alya wrote an article about her handbag. She ran a contest, and…” Under his father’s bizarrely intense stare, Adrien began to realize how idiotic it was for him to agree to meet Marinette in public view just to get a free purse. Would he have made the same choice if he’d known at the time that Marinette was Ladybug?

 Hell yes he would. He probably would have hung out there even _more_ as Chat Noir.

 “And?”

 “Oh, euh, and Chat Noir had seen her designs before. He’s, um, a fan of Marinette’s designs, father. Just like she is a fan of...yours…?” His voice raised in a weak, squeaky question tag.

 Gabriel looked back at the bag, zooming in on the texture. “Hmm,” was all he said. “I believe she is worth keeping a closer eye on her... her talent, of course.” Adrien breathed a sigh of relief when he swiped the bag away. He skipped past her twelvth design (a purse Adrien remembered Marinette had stylized from a reclaimed T-shirt gifted by her grandmother) and pulled up scanned pages of critiques. Marinette had redlined over drawings from some of Gabriel’s interns. “I appreciate that her good sense of design also leans into her sense of critique. Marinette seems to be a very sweet person; she is surprisingly harsh when something is out of line.”

 Adrien snorted a laugh. Oh, he’d learned that about his girlfriend. Dating Ladybug hadn’t stopped her from correcting every misstep Chat Noir took. She was kinder about it, but only just. Funny how neither of them noticed over two years when she eclipsed him as the assumed leader.

 “You’re amused?”

 “Oh, just...I agree,” Adrien explained. “Marinette doesn’t pull punches. She, uh, helps me grow as a person.”

 Gabriel chuckled himself. Two laughs in one conversation? “And you respond very maturely. Your mother...she was most of my conscience and impulse control as well.” He didn’t say it out loud, but Adrien knew she was most of his humanity, too. “That is why they call them our ‘better halves’. Not because they are better, but because they make us better. I expect you to do the same for her, Adrien. You are an important, impressive person. Be so.”

 Adrien blinked in surprise. Mentally, he replayed his father’s compliment over and over again. He watched as Gabriel swiped past headshots of Marinette, Tom, and Sabine. Next, he swiped past a series of boring-looking forms, many including check-boxes. Adrien caught just a few of the questions: ‘Do you have any political or personal enemies’ (she’d added a surprisingly honest answer about Chloé)... ‘List all allergies’...’Rate which of these flowers you prefer on a scale of 1-10’.... ‘When is it appropriate to kiss in public?’...a simple form for her contact information and emergencies, a letter from her parents vouching for her (it looked like Sabine had hand-written it), and what looked like one of Marinette’s many A-graded essays, at least from the format. Had she submitted an essay to him?

 “I wanted to discuss her last piece in the submission, Adrien.” He zoomed closer on the essay and Adrien could read the title- _Déclaration Personelle_ [3] _._ “I asked Mademoiselle to explain, in her own words, why she wanted to date you and why you would be a beneficial first girlfriend for you as a person and a representative of The House of Agreste. She was...convincing.” Adrien was more than just intrigued. He leaned forward to read Marinette’s statement. But Gabriel swiped it away, revealing her first design submission instead. “I am certain you want to read what she wrote. And I’m sure you’re also curious what the Market Research team took from all the information provided.” _The Market Research team was involved?!_ “-But I want to hear your thoughts, first. Why do you want to date Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, and why would she be a beneficial first girlfriend for you and our company?”

  _Dommage_ [4] _,_ Adrien thought. _I want to read what My Lady said about me! She filled up an entire page!_ He looked up at his father. Adrien’s heart pounded. This was it, wasn’t it? Was his answer the difference between dating Marinette publically and having to keep _that_ relationship a secret, too?

 Because really, even if Gabriel didn’t approve...he would still date her. They’d just elope when it came to that.

 “Before I answer...can I ask why you’re asking? Why Marinette had to...apply to be my girlfriend?”

 Gabriel seemed taken aback. “Adrien, I am not the paparazzi. You do not answer my questions with questions.”

 “That wasn’t the goal, Father. I was-” he considered his publicity training. “I want to collect the information I need to best answer your questions.”

 Gabriel nodded sagely. “I want to see what kind of relationship you are entering and what expectations we can have. You are in the public eye, Adrien. They look up to you, and your status as an available young man has drawn thousands of young people to the House of Agreste company. We have had success in our accessory and fragrance lines like never before. And so, instead of losing their interest as you no longer seem eligible, we can market your relationship as something real, something sweet and admirable, something marketable.”

 Adrien looked away. He hates this talk. Like he and Marinette were just advertising material. Like he was an employee, not a boy in love. He knew better than to say that right now, especially when he wanted something so important from his father. So instead, Adrien listened. “Your fans look up to you, Adrien. It has been almost two weeks since your date with Marinette, and I know you have continued to harbor feelings for each other. I know it was not just ‘one date’. From Marinette’s application, I can see that she takes this seriously. That is important, because your fans will put you under a microscope. We have spent tens of thousands of euros grooming you into the perfect image of an ideal teenage boy. They expect nothing but the best. I will not put my company name on a relationship where you tarnish that image. I will not abide the chance for you to mess up and anger your fans with a poor relationship.”

 Wow, how self-absorbed did his father have to be? To put his reputation above Adrien’s happiness? Where was his concern that Adrien just needed to find a good girl who made him happy? And really, what fans were _so_ convinced Adrien was such a superhuman teenager that his relationship had to be perfect or else Gabriel Fashion wasn’t reputable? Maybe he could understand Ladybug’s fans thinking like that, but…

 But…

  _Ladybug’s fans thinking like that._ Adrien’s eyes widened. He thought back to his Chinese lesson with Master Fu. He thought back to the proverb of the seedling. He thought about Marinette, their new relationship, and the bumps they had to iron out. He thought of the young fans who had already flooded the new Ladyblog video post with comments professing the perfect relationship Ladybug and Chat Noir _must_ have, how they wanted a love like that one day.

 Adrien turned to look at his dad.

He knew what to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Toussaint: All Saint's Day. This holiday is very important to the French and is their opportunity to honor the dead; specifically their family members who have passed on. They bring chrysanthemums to graves and go to a special mass at their local cathedral or church, typically have a nice, big family dinner.  
> 2Si: "Yes", but used to disagree or correct. It's when someone claims something isn't so, but it is. When you say "You can't do that" and someone says "Yes, I can!", they would use "si". If they say "You don't like snails" but you DO like snails, you'd say "si". (Saying "oui" would agree that yes, you DON'T like snails, and that person was right). It gets around that terrible problem of "if I say 'yes', am I agreeing or disagreeing?' " that we find in English sometimes. As a writer, I normally just get around this word by having the English extra clarified, but Nathalie is such a woman of few words, she wouldn't want any possible misunderstanding.  
> 3Déclaration Personelle: Personal Statement  
> 4Dommage: Too bad. (As an expression, not as a description of quality.)


	10. Public Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, this chapter has a whole bunch of French-isms all right together. If you feel kind of lost as you read, that's -okay- because you're supposed to feel a little off and confused. We're at Alya's house AND there's wine involved, soooo...
> 
> As an additional heads up, I'm out of the country and away from internet next week. I'm very doubtful I'll be posting the next chapter next Sunday. Maybe I'll end up posting it if I get a spare moment between work and packing (it's another holiday so I wanted it posted accurately), but don't count on it! Anyway, I enjoy this chapter...so I hope you do too!

“How late do you think our parents are going to stay here?” Marinette asked, shutting the door  into Alya’s bedroom behind them both. Dinner had started three hours ago, Ella and Etta in bed and asleep for at least two hours at this point. The teenagers had stayed at the dinner table over the cheese course until Alya had finally asked if they could be excused.

“You saw them pull out the second and third bottle of wine after we left?” Alya asked, raising an eyebrow. They’d each been served a watered down taste of Marlena’s wine with dinner, not even enough to make an impact.[1] Their parents on the other hand… Marinette laughed and nodded. Alya continued, “I think it’s going to be a _long_ time for them. Not for my Papa, though. He is zonked out after two glasses. Maman thinks I could outdrink him already.”

“Have you tried?”

Alya shook her head. “Nino made me promise that the first time I got drunk would be with him, and he still hasn’t tried anything, even at the dinner table. Says he’s not old enough. So, I’m waiting.”

“Well, that’s sweet!” Marinette said. “I think.”

Alya laughed. She plopped down on her bed. “We think it is. It’s nice to have so many firsts together.”

As Adrien was never far from her mind, Alya’s comment led Marinette to say, “Do you think Adrien is upset that he’s not my first kiss?”

 “Adrien? No, I don’t. He isn’t crazy. I don’t think he even realized he liked you when you had your first kiss with Luka. Besides...your first kiss with Adrien was _so romantic_. Nothing could compare to that!”

 Marinette smiled wide at that. She sat next to Alya on the bed and grabbed Alya’s stuffed ladybug plush, squeezing it tight. “It really _was_ romantic.” Marinette sniffed the Ladybug, replaying it to herself, then quickly replaying all their most recent kisses. Her memory stalled on their last not-quite-a-kiss, when he left after Alya’s party the day before. Her smile faded.

 Alya noticed the change in body language, nudging Marinette. “Hey, girl. What’s wrong?”

 Marinette sighed. She had avoided this topic with Alya all day. After all, their fight was directly related to her and her Ladyblog, but even more than that, it was related in ways Marinette could never explain to Alya. “I didn’t leave Adrien in the best way after the party.”

 Alya inhaled through her teeth, nodding. “Yeah, I noticed. Is this why you asked about my first fight with Nino?”

 “You figured that out?”

 “Girl, I figure out _everything_ ,” Alya said, bopping Marinette’s nose. _I hope you’re wrong,_ Marinette thought to herself. “I also figured out you didn’t want to talk about it yet...so I didn’t bring it up. But I can’t figure out what it was about. Still just mad about the Ladybug and Chat Noir thing?”

 Yes? No? What was her best response? “Not really. It isn’t something I can easily explain. It’s...euh...stress. Stress over publicity,” she said, stretching her half-truth for everything it was worth. “I’m more worried about it than he is and we...didn’t see eye to eye.”

 “It sounds like you’ve been thinking about this a lot since then.”

 “I have. And I’m just worried about how he feels now. Is he still mad at me?”

 “Have you asked?”

 “No…” Marinette confessed, falling backwards onto the bed. “I don’t want to just text him like that. It’s so lame!”

 “You could call?”

 “When was I supposed to call? While we were putting chrysanthemums on my Grand-Mami’s grave?”

 Alya rolled her eyes. “No. But you could call now.”

 “He’s probably asleep.”

 “Doesn’t he normally text you before bed anyway? You have that adorable poetry tradition.”

 Marinette rolled onto her face, yelling into the blanket, “We won’t if he’s still mad at me!”

 “Tu casse mes pieds[2], Marinette. Just call him now!”

 “I don’t want to.”

 “Why not?”

 Marinette pushed her face farther into the blankets. She didn’t want to see Alya and she didn’t particularly feel like she deserved to breathe. “Becuff ‘m sc’rd,” her muffled voice responded.

 “Yeah, nobody could understand that,” Alya grumbled. She grabbed Marinette’s shoulder and pulled her up from the bed. “Repeat?”

 Marinette slapped her hands over her face, pulling down her eyes and repeating, “because I’m scared!”

 “Of what?!”

 “I was a jerk!” Marinette replied. “I was a jerk and Adrien’s such a perfect prince and he was only fighting because he _loves_ me, and how could I let myself ruin that? He’s not going to love me anymore! He’s going to break up with me and realize I’m not worth the trouble and I’m going to end up buried alone and fifty years from now, Toussaint 2068, you’ll take yours and Nino’s grandchildren to my grave and throw flowers on it and say ‘this is why you don’t get mad at your boyfriends for loving you, kiddos!’ and my gravestone will get all cracked and ugly and... _I’m so stupid!_ ”

 “You’re over dramatic, that’s for sure,” Alya said. She let go of Marinette’s shoulder, her friend immediately falling face first back into the bed. Marinette felt the bed spring as Alya stood up, then soon it sank back down. She heard her friend say, “Here, drink this.”

 “Is it your mom’s wine?” Marinette asked, rolling to check, hopefully.

 “Oh, ho, no. We are not going down that path. It’s water.” Marinette groaned, but she sat up to take the drink. “And do you have your lucky charm?” Wordlessly, Marinette opened her purse and pulled out her string of beads from Adrien. “Good. You’ve got the water for your insanity and the charm for your luck. Now think about this seriously- do you _really_ think Adrien’s going to dump you because you handled the stress of publicity differently than him? Adrien’s been in the spotlight his entire life. This is new to you! Don’t you think he knows that?”

 Alya had a point. Of course Adrien interpreted the press’s interest in Ladybug and Chat Noir differently and less seriously than Marinette did. She sighed, then took a long drink of water. “I guess.” Marinette felt Tikki flutter in agreement.

 “Of course he does. Drink your water and rub your beads. You two will be just fine.”

 Obediently, Marinette rubbed her fingers over her lucky charm. In her ideal world, she could talk to Adrien and settle this tonight. He would come around to her thinking, she could explain how she’d come to understand his...and they’d be back to a perfect couple. Stronger now, even! Alya stretched and tried to change the topic. “So...what did you think of that new Jagged Stone song?”

 Marinette didn’t have time to answer. She heard a familiar thump and her gaze instinctively snapped to the window. On the glass, peeking into the room, was a very familiar, beloved silhouette of a head. “Chat Noir!” She gasped.

 Alya looked up in surprise and looked over at the window. “Putain!” she squawked, seeing what Marinette saw. Alya fell backwards onto her hands, gaping like a fish at the superhero in her window. “It totally is Chat Noir! What’s he doing here?”

 Likewise, Tikki rustled in Marinette’s jacket, poking out just enough to see. She squeaked in surprise, then ducked back down to hide.

 Chat noticed he had the girls attention. He grinned and waved, then knocked on the glass. Marinette almost stood up, but she didn’t want to look too familiar. So instead, she looked over at Alya. “Are you, uh...gonna let him in?” She looked back at Chat Noir and stared, focused. _What are you doing here?_ Had her luck worked?!

 “Oh...totally. I’m just not...Chat Noir?” She stood and opened her window, letting the cat tumble in. “Chat Noir! Is Ladybug okay? Do you need me?”

 Marinette cringed at Alya’s question. But Chat just looked confused. “Yes, Ladybug’s okay. Why would I need you if she wasn’t okay?”

 Alya began to blush. Clearly, she’d realized Chat didn’t know her identity. Which he shouldn’t! “Oh, uh...I...um...to record the news!” she explained weakly.

 “Sweet of you to be concerned, Ladyblogger. But no, My Lady is absolutely feline fine. Hello, Alya. Hello, Marinette!”

 Marinette felt a small blush rise on her cheeks. Chat looked at her with impressive acting, flashing her a wink that was flirty but didn’t betray any secrets.”Hi, Chat Noir,” she replied.

 He made a big show of looking around Alya’s room. “Wow! You have a very cool room! Look at all your posters!” Chat prowled over to the poster of himself, striking the same pose. “What do we think. Am I not even better in purrrrson?” He didn’t wait for an answer before darting over to the Rena Rouge poster. Marinette wished Adrien would stop being so curious about that one. “This is great, Alya! I’ve never seen a Rena Rouge poster before. We need more appreciation for our Foxy Lady. Maybe she’d hang out with Ladybug and I more!”

 “You think her lack of _fans_ is why Rena Rouge stays off the street, catboy?” Alya asked, popping her hand on her hip. She shook her head. “Why did you come crash girls’ night anyway, Chat Noir? And how did you know where I live?”

 Marinette smiled at her friend. _Good job changing the topic, Rena,_ she thought.

 “Second question first- _instincts_. As for the ‘why’...I saw your post on the Ladyblog.” Chat’s bright green eyes flicked nervously to Marinette. “It...ah...concerned My Lady and I.” Marinette sat up in surprise. They hadn’t discussed Chat talking to the press about this! What was he planning?

 Alya pulled out her phone. “Oh, you came for a follow-up. Would you mind if I record?”

 Chat shook his head. “I don’t mind. I think it’d be a great idea, actually.”

 “Great.” She hit the voice recorder on her phone and pushed it into Marinette’s hands. Marinette responded with a squeak. “You hold this, girl. I’m going to take notes.” She grabbed a notebook and pen, muttering just loud enough for Marinette to hear, “ _body language_.”

 Oh, god. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

 “So, Chat Noir,” Alya rolled her desk chair over to Chat and seated herself next to Marinette on the bed. Chat flopped backwards into the chair, grinning comfortably. “My article must have been what grabbed your attention. The nature of your relationship with Ladybug. Care to explain?”

Marinette gulped so loud, she was sure the recorder in her hand picked it up. She watched her boyfriend carefully, and his eyes likewise went to hers. Chat inhaled. He sat up a little taller. “In your article, you hinted that we might be dating. I want to clarify that rumor.” Marinette held her breath. “We’re not.” She exhaled and suddenly felt her heartbeat pick up its pace. Marinette prayed that he only meant in publicity and this wasn’t his sick way of breaking it off with her. Alya hadn’t spoken up, apparently waiting for Chat to expound- which he did. “We’re not dating...yet. Ladybug and I are very close. We are partners and the only people who can really understand what each other is going through.” Okay. That sounded like this was just for publicity, then. For their agreed storyline. Marinette smiled in hope.

“So you know each other’s identities outside the masks?”

“No! No, we don’t. No, that’s not what I meant.” He quickly added, “I’d _love_ to, but….keeping France safe is much more important than my own curiosity. My Lady is wise, and she knows what curiosity does to a cat.” He winked at Alya.

“Alright, then what do you mean that you’re the only people who understand what you’re going through?” 

Chat smiled sweetly. His eyes wandered to Marinette again, but then he pulled his attention back to Alya. “Ladybug and I lead difficult lives. We have big secrets, entire lives that we can’t let anyone know about. Being Chat Noir is very important to me. You’ve interviewed Ladybug on how seriously _she_ takes her job as well. It is hard to keep something you love and something you’re so proud of a secret. But we can talk about it with one another.” He grinned wide. “She’s my best fur-end. And I’m hers.”

“That’s very sweet, Chat Noir,” Alya praised. “However, would you say that friends greet one another the way you two did in my video?”

 “These two friends do!” Chat responded, pointing to himself. “No one is closer to me than Ladybug. And we cats are _very_ physically affectionate.” His right hand squeezed on itself as if he had to stop himself from showing Alya and Marinette just how physically affectionate. Marinette swallowed- she knew how physically affectionate he could be. “So I reacted the way I always want to.” He shrugged. Then Chat leaned forward, hands on his knees and eyes wide, looking between the two girls. “Alya? Marinette? Can I tell you two a secret?”

 They leaned forward, intrigued. Marinette could see Chat’s eyes sparkling. Alya spoke for both, pen poised over her notebook. “Of course, Chat! Tell us!”

 He put a hand against his mouth and stage-whispered, “I may have an eensy weensy crush on Ladybug.” As Alya threw back her head and laughed, Chat winked at Marinette. She giggled, keeping her eyes trained on him. Yep, he was still her boyfriend. And she was _incredibly_ appreciative of him right now.

 Alya recovered, shaking her head at Chat’s joke. “Alright...so then what’s the holdup? If she lets you kiss her and if you _like_ her, why not date?”

 Chat sat up more seriously. His smile faded into a stoic line. “Ah, Ladyblogger. That is the meowllion euro question, isn’t it? There’s a few reasons. Number one,” he counted on his thumb claw, looking straight at Alya, “She isn’t ready yet. She’s got,” he waved his non-counting hand in the air, swatting invisible bugs, “distractions. Number two, though...this one is important.” Chat adjusted his posture, casting furtive glances at Marinette as he began to explain.

 “A lot of people look up to Ladybug and Chat Noir and expect us to get together. How can you blame them? Two sexy, young-looking, powerful people like us? Me-ow! I’m on board, too! Ladybug and I work very hard to be the best we can. We want to be good examples of friendship, creativity, heroism, bravery, and...ugh, she has a whole list. I swear I’m forgetting something…”

 “Kindness and Teamwork,” Marinette said, speaking up for the first time in awhile. Chat had seduced her into a feeling of comfort, like she was Ladybug with her Cat, and she didn’t notice Alya’s surprised glance.

 Chat looked back at her and pointed to Marinette. “Thank you, My...rinette. Friendship, Creativity, Heroism, Bravery, Kindness, and Teamwork. _FuCH-BuKeT._ ” [3]

 Marinette snorted in laughter. She’d never heard Chat call her list “Fuch Bucket” before. “Fuch-Bucket?” she asked with a giggle.

 “It’s a mew-nomic device!” Chat told her, smiling back at Marinette. Then he blinked, bit his lip, and turned back to Alya. And, oh yeah, Alya was in the room. Interviewing Chat Noir _without_ Ladybug. “ _Anyway_ , We represent a lot of important stuff to a lot of people. And when we get together...which may or may not happen, of course. If you quote me as saying we’re definitely getting together in the future, we may learn one more way a ladybug can skin a cat. Anyway, when we get together, people will expect us to represent a perfect working relationship, too.”

 Marinette blinked in surprise. She felt her jaw drop just a little. His tail was twitching nervously and he refused to look at Marinette. She hadn’t told him that side of it...had she? Had Marinette even considered that? Maybe subconsciously...but she _definitely_ didn’t tell Adrien. Surprising her still, her boyfriend continued, “I have no doubts that when we fall in love, it _will_ be that perfect relationship. Birds will sing, cats and dogs will live in peace, Le Papillon will drop dead on the spot. It will be meowvilous. But that’s a lot of pressure for two people! We’re not there yet, Ladybug and I. So no, we aren’t a couple.”

 “Just a couple of romantic idiots,” Alya added.

 Marinette blushed a little and Chat Noir smirked. “Maybe so.”

 “So...do you think she’s falling for you, Chat Noir?”

 Chat’s voice was soft, nearly a purr, as he said, “I hope so. I’ll be there to catch her when she does.”

 Alya clicked her tongue and put a hand over her chest. Likewise, Marinette felt her own heart flip-flop a bit. _I have fallen for you!_ She wanted to say. But of course, Chat knew that. And so instead, they shared a small smile. Eyes still on Chat, Marinette spoke again. “Alya...can I ask him a question?”

 “Is it about your celebrity crush?” Alya asked, devilishly.

 Marinette jumped in her seat, heat rising quickly on her face. “Alya!” she shrieked. She could see a delighted, amused look cross Chat’s face out of the side of her eye.

 Alya turned to Chat, still grinning wickedly. “Ooh, Chat Noir, my friend has a _crush on you_.”

 “Alya, stop it!” Marinette squealed.

 Chat raised his brows in surprise. “Oh, she does? Why, _Princess_ , such a lovely lady like yourself has interest in _me?_ ”

 “Don’t get too excited, Loverboy,” Alya told him. She ribbed Marinette with an elbow. “I’m only teasing my girl here. She is taken and her unofficial boyfriend is the jealous type.”

 Chat’s ears twitched and he laughed again. Marinette sunk deeper into her chair in embarrassment. “He _is_ , huh? Your boyfriend is the jealous type? So…” Chat leaned forward, lightly touching her knee with his hand. “He wouldn’t like it if I touched you then, huh?”

 Marinette swatted his familiar touch away. “No, he wouldn’t.”

 Chat’s glowing green eyes glistened. His low, purring voice asked, “Are you sure?”

 Marinette shivered. She squeaked out, “Yes, I’m sure!”

 Alya was howling in laughter. “Girl, I should have put on the video recording! This is blackmail gold!”

 Chat was now avoiding touching Marinette, but leaned his face perilously close to hers, smirking as she sunk farther away. At the word ‘blackmail’, he slipped backwards and faced Alya. “Oh, but I don’t want young Marinette to get in trouble! She’s helped me out of cat-astrophes a few times. I just hope her boyfriend deserves her!” He sighed dramatically. “It’d be a shame to waste such a purrrr-l of a girl on a jerk boyfriend.” Chat looked back at Marinette. “Especially a jerk boyfriend who cares about his own selfish, short-term wants above her long-term, good-for-everybody plans.”

 “My boyfriend isn’t a jerk,” Marinette told him. Her voice was maybe a little too soft, considering she was supposed to be pushing away a leather-clad temptation. But her leather-clad boyfriend wasn’t someone she wanted to push away. “He keeps surprising me. In really good ways.”

 Chat’s smile was soft, warm, and loving. “That’s good. I hope he keeps doing that. He needs to deserve you, Marinette.”

 “He does.”

 Alya cleared her throat. “Did I miss something? Or are you-” she pointed to Marinette, “still dating a goddamn _model_ and you-” she pointed to Chat, “still lovesick over a superhero who could break all of our arms?”

 Marinette pulled farther away from Chat, trying and failing not to blush. She quickly tried to manifest a lie. “Sorry, Alya. I’ve...I, uh...I’ve _talked_ to Chat about Adrien before.” She looked at Chat, eyes blazing, willing him to understand. “Before we started dating. So Chat, uh, knows some of what I’ve gone through.”

 “Right,” Chat agreed, sitting back into his rolly chair, still a little stiff. “I’ve seen Marinette heartbroken before by that dude. I don’t want to see it again.”

 Alya looked unconvinced. “Uh huh,” she said. “Marinette...didn’t you have a question for him?”

 “Yes, right,” Marinette cleared her throat. She sat up. “Ladybug normally handles the press between you two. Why are you the one coming forward with this and not her?”

 Chat looked at Alya, nodded, then looked at Marinette. “Because it upset her. She was worried people would start expecting us to be together. She’s always the one telling people we aren’t a couple. I’m a little more...ready than she is.” He winked at Alya. “You know what I’m talking about.” Then he looked back at Marinette, ears turning softly. He started to play with his hands. “I figured, if I want the world to really believe we’re not together, I should be the one to say it. And I’ll take the hard job for once.” He turned back to Alya. “Let Ladybug reap the benefits without the pain. She doesn’t like shutting me down.”

 “Who would?” Alya asked. She reached forward and scratched under Chat’s chin. “You’re a very sweet kitten.” She looked over at Marinette. “Don’t you agree, Mari?”

 “Ladybug will be very lucky one day,” Marinette answered kindly. And she really was. She really, really was. Marinette could not wait to wrap Chat up in her arms, in or out of his suit, and tell him how lucky she really was.

 Chat smiled at her praise. “Alya, do you think you’ll be able to run that as a response to the video post? We don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.”

 “Of course. It will make a great post. Mind posing for a picture for the blog? It’d be better if Ladybug was here to be in it, but...oh! Marinette!” Alya looked at Marinette and Marinette froze. She couldn’t be in a picture with Chat Noir! Especially not for a post about Chat Noir’s undying love for Ladybug! “Take a picture of us, would you? To show it was an exclusive Ladyblog interview!”

 “Oh,” Marinette exhaled, “Of course!”

 Chat pointed at his apparently new favorite poster. “Over by the Rena Rouge poster!”

 “No!” Alya and Marinette shouted in unison. “B-bad lighting,” Marinette stuttered out. “Here by the window is better. Alya can say you came in through the window in her article!”

 Alya looked relieved at Marinette’s reasoning. She and Chat stood together comfortably, Chat putting rabbit ears over Alya’s head as Marinette snapped a picture on Alya’s phone. It seemed like Chat was about to leave, which meant Marinette was about to have a chance to see her boyfriend. And so, she faked a gasp. “Oh, someone’s calling me.” Marinette dug into her pocket, apologizing to Chat Noir and Alya, and looked at her blank phone. “It’s Adrien,” she lied. “I’ve got to take this.” Chat looked over at her, ears perked, and a smile slowly spreading on his face.

 “Don’t tell him I was here, he might get _insanely jealous_ ,” Chat teased.

 Alya grabbed her own phone out of Marinette’s hand, popping her hip and talking familiarly to Chat. “Frankly, she’s more of a jealous person than he is. Adrien sees so much good in people and is so damn oblivious, I doubt he’d think anything fishy was going on between you two if you were making out in front of him.”

 Marinette scoffed, looking amused at Adrien’s face. And it _was_ Adrien’s face she saw under Chat’s mask, shocked and confused. “I-huh-what?! I’m sure he’s not _that_ oblivious.”

 “It’s _barely_ an exaggeration,” Alya said with a laugh. Then she looked at Marinette. “Still, you better take your call before he gets worried about you.”

 “Oh, right,” Marinette said, tapping her blank phone as if accepting a call. “Hi, Adrien!” she said to no one, waving goodbye to the very person she wanted to talk to. He looked back at her helplessly as Alya kept talking. Marinette walked backwards out of Alya’s room, watching her best friend poke Chat’s shoulder. “ _That_ , he does. Worry, I mean. Hah, you should have heard what he worried about when Marinette was dating her ex!”

 “I can’t hear you, Adrien,” Marinette said, still walking backwards. “I’m going outside to talk to you where it’s quieter,” she said, making direct eye-contact with Chat. And then Marinette slipped down the hallway and out Alya’s door.

 She had her phone down by her hip as she walked into the Césaire’s kitchen. The boisterous laughter startled Marinette and she realized her parents were _still_ here. Eyes wide, she snapped the phone back to her ear, trying to maintain a consistent alibi.

 “Marinet-teh! Mon cœur!” Sabine slurred, rosy faced. Her husband spun around and smiled, just as red in the face. Sabine stood and waved Marinette over to the table laden with wine and cheese. “Come, come join us!”

 “Hi, Maman. I’m on the phone,” Marinette said, pointing to her phone.

 “Who are you talking to?” Tom boomed. Marinette cringed just a little. Her dad got a lot louder when he was drunk.

 “Adrien,” Marinette explained, slowly side stepping towards the front door.

 Marlena lit up, cooing in delight. “Adrien! One of my favorite ga’sons[4]. After my little lamb’s Nino, of course. Sa ka fèt?[5]”

 “He’s...on the phone. I’ll find out how he is soon!” Marinette promised, trying to get out of the room. But Sabine was faster, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her closer to the table. _I just want to go outside!_ Marinette begged internally.

 “Marlena, haffI tolju how much _work_ that father’s boy is putting on my daughter?” Sabine asked, holding Marinette like she was evidence on trial. Marinette looked around the table- Tom was beaming in pride, Marlena was grinning (a frightening look for her, honestly), and Otis was fast asleep on his plate of cracker crumbs.

 Tom pounded the table and all four glasses of wine trembled. “C’est _fou_ , ça![6]”

 “She had to make a portfolio of designs, judge _his_ employees’ ca-ca  [7]designs...heehee...and then fill out all this _paperasserie_ [8]...she had tah write an essay! Just to get his approval. Ce connard me fait chier[9].”

 “Maman!” Marinette squawked.

 “Now, now, Sabine. Don’t teach our daughter to speak about her father-in-law like that,” Tom lectured in what Marinette assumed he thought was a whisper.

 Sabine squeezed Marinette’s arm tight, pouting at her husband. It was a good thing Adrien wasn’t really on the phone, Marinette decided. “I’m only looking out for ma poussin! She’s such a wonderful angel, Marinet-teh shouldn’t _hafta_ go through all this stuff!”

 “It’s not a big deal,” Marinette argued. “I finished on time and I had most of the pieces already done before I even started. It was easy to fill out the rest...it just took some time, that’s all.”

 “Did you put Adrien through that too? Essays and baking?” Marlena asked Sabine, eyes wide.

 “Of course not, no! We approved of him since Marinette brought him work to home on their video game project.” She started to preen Marinette, fluffing her daughter’s pigtails and straightening her jacket. Marinette could feel Tikki twitching nervously underneath...hopefully, her mother was so drunk, Sabine wouldn’t notice anything. “Adrien practicessesses his Chinese with me, he always offers to help in the shop when he’s there, he is a _gentleman!_ ” Sabine put such heavy emphasis on that word, she swayed slightly. “And most important, he makes my little treasure happy.”

 “That’s the most important part!” Tom boomed. “He makes her happy! He makes both my girls happy!” He slapped his other hand onto the table, leaning his entire weight onto his elbow and facing Marlena. “You know, Marlena, if Marinette didn’t have him, and if he were ten years older, I bet Sabine would take Adrien for herself!”

 The adults all burst into laughter, drowning out Marinette’s squeal of discomfort.

 Sabine laughed loudest of them all. “And give up your fine ass? Tom, I would never!”

 Marinette wiggled her way out of Sabine’s grip. “Okay I don’t want to hear this!” she said, as loud as she could over the roar of their drunk laughter. “I need to answer my phone call.”

 “No wine before you go, sweetie?” Marlena asked, picking up Otis’s abandoned glass. “C’est la fête!”[10]

 “No thank you, Madame. Maybe later.” _Maybe not_ , she thought, eyes on the adults red faces. She pointed at her phone. “I have to go.”

 “Tell him we say hi!” Tom boomed. The women cheered in agreement and Otis just barely stirred.

 “Okay!” Marinette said, finally slipping out the door. Once it was securely shut behind her, she puffed up her cheeks and exhaled. It was nice to hear how much her parents liked her boyfriend, but god...not really like _that_. Marinette went down the stairs, sure that by now, Chat must be impatiently waiting at the bottom. But when she exited, the apartment building and put her phone back in her pocket, he was nowhere to be seen. So she stood and waited.

 And waited.

 Marinette stared up at Alya’s window, banter and light streaming out, but no boyfriends. She huffed in frustration. She even considered transforming just to pull Chat out of Alya’s room by the tail. Thankfully, before it came to that, Chat dropped from Alya’s window.

 He wordlessly landed next to Marinette and pulled her into his side, extended his baton into the ground, and flung both himself and Marinette into the air. Chat held his girlfriend tight as they flew through the air and landed softly on a roof almost a block away. Then Chat set Marinette on her feet and brushed her hair out of her face. His loving expression was melted onto his face, barely illuminated by streetlights below them. “Hi, Cookie.”

 “Hello, mon cher,” Marinette replied, grabbing his hand and holding it. Chat Noir lifted both their hands up to his face and gently kissed the back of hers. “You’re not mad at me anymore, I guess?”

 Chat grinned and shook his head. “Oh, Marinette. How could I stay mad at you?”

 “You surprised me tonight,” Marinette told him. “I really didn’t think...did you change your mind?”

 “I still want the world to know how in love we are,” he replied with a shrug, “but I came around to some of your reasons and a few of my own. Some smart old men had something to do with it, too.” Chat winked.

 At that, Tikki pushed open Marinette’s jacket and poked her head out. “Oh, do you mean Master Fu? Did you tell Master Fu that you two are together?!”

 Chat smiled and nodded. Marinette gasped. “You _did_?!”

 “I was surprised you didn’t!” Chat replied, almost laughing.

 “I was...worried he’d be mad. I don’t know if we’re...supposed to date.”

 “Silly Marinette,” Tikki started. “I’ve told you, Ladybugs and Chat Noirs partner romantically all the time. It’s been about half of the time, actually, unless one of them has made a vow of chastity, or their orientations don’t line up, or something along those personal lines. A few paired up with different miraculous holders. I actually think that’s part of why you fell for Adrien so hard and so quickly!” She looked back over at Chat Noir with dreamy eyes. “You’re meant for each other. That’s what Master Fu told me.”

 “Then I guess he wasn’t mad?” Marinette asked, looking from Tikki to Chat.

 Chat grinned and shook his head. “He wasn’t mad at all. And he helped me understand why you want to wait. You and I need patience to let this grow into a great relationship. Can you imagine it’s going to get _better_ than this?” He couldn’t seem to stop touching her. Her hair, her arm, her fingers. That insatiable desire for physical contact was what got them in trouble in the first place, but Marinette couldn’t bear to make him stop.

 “It hasn’t even been two weeks, minou. We have plenty of room to grow,” Marinette replied. “That’s exciting, isn’t it? That we have the potential to fall even more in love?”

 Tikki squealed in agreement. She flew out of Marinette’s jacket at last, making circles around their heads. “I’m so excited to see it happen!”

 “Me too, Tikki,” Marinette laughed. She stepped closer, letting herself be enveloped in Chat’s familiar frame and grip. “Thank you for taking the time to understand my side. I got the chance to understand yours a little better, too. I only recently wanted _this_ you,” she said, flicking Chat’s bell, “but _you’ve_ waited for Ladybug to come around for so long. That’s really frustrating, Adrien. And I’m sorry. I hope Marinette is enough for now.” She stroked the leather arms encircling her petite body.

 “Marinette, you are _way_ more than enough,” he growled into her hair. “And I’ve got to detransform to show you how much that is.” Chat Noir spun Marinette to give them some distance. “After all...we can’t let the public think Marinette Dupain-Cheng is cheating on her Public Boyfriend.”

 Keying into his emphasis, Marinette squinted at Chat Noir. She let go of his hand. “Public boyfriend...do you mean…”

 Chat smirked at Marinette. He dropped his transformation, the smirk remaining on Adrien’s face. He opened his arms wide to her and the Chat-like smirk transformed into a smile much more familiar on Adrien’s face. “Father said ‘yes’!” Adrien cheered. Marinette shrieked in delight, running into his arms. Adrien picked her up and swung her around, both teenagers laughing in delight. He said yes! They could date in public! He approved of her! As Marinette spun, she caught a glimpse of Tikki grabbing Plagg by the hands, spinning him around the air as well.

 Eventually, Adrien put Marinette down. “Well, technically, he said ‘Your answers and her application are sufficient evidence that this relationship will be a positive move for you and our company. We will arrange for a press conference tomorrow’.” Adrien clarified in his best Gabriel Agreste voice. “You and your parents are supposed to come over for a lunch meeting to sign some stuff. And then we get to take pictures and everybody gets to know that you and I are _off_ the market!”

 “Good! Because just today I had a roguish boy hit on me right in Alya’s room.”

 “What? Who?!”

 Marinette lowered her eyebrows and her voice. “Adrien.”

 Adrien blinked, then blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh. Right. Me.”

 “Speaking of cats who get themselves into trouble...are we stuck up here now?”

 “Naw, I planned this,” Adrien promised. He took Marinette’s hand and led her to a doorway in the middle of the roof. “This building has roof access. And that’s not all I planned…” he led her over towards the doorway where a small basket waited. Flowers were spilling out of the basket, specifically-

 “Marigolds!” Marinette gasped. She turned to Adrien, eyes sparkling. “You got me Marigolds!”

 “You said they were your favorite!”

 “When did I tell you that?”

 “It was on your personal information sheet,” Adrien admitted. “Marigolds and a lot of other flowers our favorite florist doesn’t normally carry. Celery flowers? Flowered cilantro? Are you sure you’re not using your bouquets to bake, My Lady?”

 Marinette giggled. “I used to like tulips and roses the best, but my tastes have changed over the past few years. I do like daisies and feverfew, at least!”

 Adrien smiled. “You know what our florist said? He asked if I was trying to attract ladybugs.” Marinette’s eyes widened and snapped to Adrien. “Apparently, your list of favorite flowers lines up almost exactly with the list of flowers that attract your lucky bug,” he said, bopping her nose.

 Marinette spun to look at her kwami, floating with a pleasant smile. “Tikki! Is that true?”

 “At least you’re not craving aphids. I had a Ladybug who did that once.” Tikki frowned thoughtfully. “It was a little weird.”

 Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand again. “I didn’t get a chance to read through everything on your information sheet yet. But don’t worry- I intend on committing it all to memory. I’m just _lucky_ that I _spotted_ what I needed for tonight. I...uh, wanted a good apology.”

 “Oh, kitten,” Marinette cooed, pulling herself up to his arm. “You don’t have to apologize.”

 “I don’t want to fight again, Marinette,” Adrien explained. He led her to the doorway and handed her the bouquet. Marinette inhaled the flowers, pollen pleasantly tickling her nose. “ _Especially_ when we’re just fighting because we love each other.”

 Marinette laughed. “That was a pretty dumb reason to fight, wasn’t it?”

 Plagg flew closer to their heads. “All reasons to fight are dumb reasons. Destruction is supposed to have a purpose as the natural course of endings. Humans destroy relationships far too easily. It makes me look bad.”

 “And they use relationships for creation far too easily, too!” Tikki agreed with a stern nod.

 Adrien reached back down to his basket, pulling out a wheel of camembert and a bag of cookies from a nearby boulangerie. He looked up at the kwamis and said, “That’s why I’m apologizing to you two, too.”

 Plagg zipped down in giddy, hooting laughter and plucked the cheese from Adrien’s hand. Tikki squeaked in surprise before accepting the bag. “Oh, but you two haven’t abused your human creation powers! You didn’t have to apologize, Adrien!”

 “Our what?” Marinette asked.

 Tikki settled herself down on the ground next to Plagg, who had already peeled off his cheese’s paper and was biting directly into the rind. “Your human creation powers. Like pollination. They only work in pairs or groups, usually connected to love.”

 Through a mouthful of cheese, Plagg pointed at Tikki. “That’s why she’s such a sap.”

 Marinette was thinking through Tikki’s words. Human creation powers? Like _pollination?_ Humans didn’t have magic without kwamis. Unless she meant… “Tikki, do you mean...like, birth? And...and _sex_?!” Marinette squeaked in shock, avoiding looking at her boyfriend. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him jump with a start and busy himself with the basket.

 “Yes. The most powerful creation magic humans have!” Tikki said with a loving sigh. “So I don’t know why Adrien’s apologizing. He’s only _thought_ about it.”

 “Tikki!” Adrien shrieked, his voice cracking as he spun on Marinette’s kwami. Plagg started to laugh, long and loud. “Tikki, you can’t tell her that!”

 Tikki blinked in surprise. “Why not? She’s thought about it, too.” Now it was Marinette’s turn to shriek. “She has darling names picked out already.” Marinette’s face felt like it was on fire. And Plagg laughed even louder, holding his body as he kicked and rolled in laughter. “But you’ve both thought about it so _maturely_ , and you know you’re not ready yet. Not emotionally, not physically.” She squinted, as if reading their bodies, and Marinette was thrilled that Tikki decided not to explain more about ‘physical readiness’. She looked at Marinette with a big smile. “Actually, Marinette, you’ll be pleased to know that Adrien actively fought against thinking about you in that way when he was only crushing on Ladybug. At least the pollination part- he still considered your children. Plagg told me so! He knows I like keeping up with human creation between our chosen heroes.”

 “Tikki, this is _really_ uncomfortable,” Marinette said. “I was already uncomfortable with my parents tonight. Do we have to have this conversation?”

 Plagg rolled onto his front, still howling with laughter. “Tikki, _please_ keep talking. I am _loving_ this.”

 “I thought you hated relationship talk!” Adrien squawked. “Traitor!”

 “I hate it when it isn’t funny. This is _hilarious!_ Keep going, Tikki!”

 Tikki frowned. “Plagg, stop laughing. Marinette’s right, I’ve gone too far. I never meant to make you uncomfortable, Marinette!” She sighed. “It’s like Alya said. When you get there, you’ll be more ready to talk about it.”

 Adrien finally faced Marinette, face pale. “You talked to Alya about this?”

 “No!” Marinette squeaked back. “ _She_ keeps talking to _me_! I’ve told her we’ve only...that we just…”

 Tikki picked up her cookies in one hand and grabbed Plagg with the other. “Come on. Let’s leave them alone, Plagg. I’m afraid I made their romantic evening a little awkward.”

 “Aw, please can we stay? This is the most entertaining they’ve been since getting kissy-faced!”

 “Plagg, no.”

 “ _Fine_ , but I’m bringing my cheese.”

 Plagg and Tikki flew off a short distance with their treats and Marinette hid her face in her marigold bouquet. “Oh my god,” she groaned.

 She heard Adrien step closer behind her, chuckle, and put an arm around Marinette’s shoulders. When she looked up from her flowers, Adrien was blushing. And damn it, he always looked good when he blushed. “I’m kind of glad that happened. It’s nice to know Tikki isn’t always the perfect kwami. I may not be ‘a jealous person’, but I was jealous of you for having her instead of Plagg!”

 “I’m so embarrassed,” Marinette groaned again, falling into Adrien’s chest. She let her Marigolds hang loosely in one hand as the other wrapped around her boyfriend.

 “How do you think I feel? I just meant to apologize that we were fighting about their abilities!” He shook his head. “At least it happened before the press conference. I bet gross pervs will make some kind of comment about that kind of thing online after tomorrow.” He moved her bangs out of her face and gently placed a kiss on Marinette’s forehead. “Maybe let’s not google search our names for a little bit.”

 Marinette moaned into Adrien’s chest. Then she rested her chin there, looking up at Adrien. “What will the press conference be like anyway?”

 “I actually don’t know much,” Adrien admitted. “Father has always sheltered my behavior to avoid exactly this kind of press conference. An ideal mascot is one without controversy, I guess. I talked to Nathalie about it today at dinner, though.”

 “You two actually talked at dinner?”

 Adrien grinned. “She put away her tablet and everything! It was great! Father still didn’t join us, but it felt a little bit more like a family dinner with us actually talking. She said the conference will be pretty small. We’ll tell them how we met, who you are...basically just the watered down version that Father told us in the car on our way to our first date.”

 “Oh, so you mean we won’t tell them we’re secretly superheroes?” Marinette asked jokingly.

 Adrien laughed lightly. “Naw, we save that for Alya’s press conference. Anyway, they’ll probably just want to know who you are, how we met...I bet they’ll be interested in your designs. I think that’s one of the reasons Father asked you to submit so many. And to make sure he liked your taste.”

 “Do you think I should wear something I’ve designed?”

 “Absolutely! That’s a great idea! Maybe one of the things from your portfolio!” Adrien paused. “But not the dress that looks like my dad.”

 Marinette laughed loudly. “A little too Oedipus-adjacent, I think.”

 “I have enough daddy issues without putting _you_ in that outfit,” Adrien said with a self-deprecating grin. He hugged Marinette tightly and oh, it was nice to be in his arms again. To not be worried that he was mad, or that she was mad, or that anyone was upset about anything. “They’ll probably ask how we feel about each other. I think Father will train us what to say so we don’t look _too_ ...over eager for our age. That was his only critique of your personal statement. He said the passion was unflattering for a girl of your age.” Adrien tipped Marinette’s chin up and husked, “I _love_ your passion.”

 Marinette felt her heart flip and her eyes met Adrien’s. His eyes flicked down to her lips and her chest rose in a deep breath. They hadn’t kissed for over 24 hours and that was just plain wrong. She leaned in, he leaned in, and their lips met. It felt like coming home again. The kiss was sweet and quick and made Marinette giggle. “I missed kissing you.” Marinette wrapped both arms around his neck, the marigolds sitting on his shoulder.

 “It’s been way too long,” Adrien agreed, bending down to kiss her again, a little longer and more exploratory this time. When they broke apart, he asked, “So, I didn’t get to read your personal statement. What _did_ you say?”

 Blushing, Marinette dipped her head. “Really sappy stuff. I wrote about how we met and how hard you worked to make sure I understood you had only the best intentions in everything you do. I told the gum story, you know? I, euh, connected that with how our relationship progressed from that point. How I was always working hard to make sure you understood how much I cared and how it didn’t always work, usually because I was shy. I said that now that we had improved our communication, we understood each other’s feelings.”

 “It’s not your fault I was hung up on someone else!” Adrien argued. “Actually...it _is_ your fault!” He poked Marinette’s shoulder playfully, with a wide grin. “If you weren’t so darn beautiful and powerful and creative and focused and dedicated as Ladybug, maybe I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you! And then I could have fallen in love with you!”

 Marinette laughed at his ridiculous statement. “And if _you_ weren’t so charming and kind and friendly and bright at school, maybe I wouldn’t have fallen in love with _you_ , and could have loved you back!”

 Adrien nuzzled her neck, peppering the skin under her pigtails with kisses and making Marinette giggle and twist. “We’re just too purrrrfect for each other, My Lady.” His kisses covered her entire face until she caught him in a tight hug. “So, what else did you say?”

 “Hmm?”

 “In your personal statement.”

 “Why don’t you just read it, mon chaton?”

 “Because Father didn’t show it to me!”

 “I could email it to you.”

 Adrien pulled away to look at Marinette in shock. “You could? Could you?!” He grinned wide, a Chat Noir-like grin, and bounced on his toes, making his hair flop. “Could you, could you?! Then I can read it whenever I want!”

 “What am I going to get out of this, though? You didn’t have to write a personal statement.”

 “Father made me tell him my version on the spot. I can tell you what I said. And I can write you more poetry!”

 Marinette blinked in surprise. “He made you tell him a personal statement? About why we should be together?” Adrien nodded. “Well, go on, then! Tell me! I promise I’ll email you mine. Tell me!”

 Adrien blushed, but he was smiling. “I told him that you are the kindest person I’ve ever met. I want to be a kinder person when I’m around you, and you inspire that in everyone you meet- not just the ones who are in love with you. I told him how you are creative and smart, how you do well in school and with your designs, and how all of that is because you’re not only gifted, you’re focused. You put that focus and creativity into everything you do- it’s what makes you such a good Ladybug.” Marinette pulled back to look at him. Quickly, Adrien added, “I didn’t say _that_ part…” he kissed her forehead, “I’m just telling you that, Bug. I talked about how you inspire people and how much you inspire me. I explained how shy you used to be around me, and how I didn’t care. I didn’t mind that you were awkward and spoke in a weird way with me- I just wanted to be around you. Because when you did have something to say, it was _incredible_. There’s a reason our class loves you so much and voted for you to be class representative last year, and it’s not just because it was either you or Chloé Bourgeois. You really listen to people and work to do what’s best for them. You really are the kind of person everyone should aspire to be. Personally, you’re the perfect girlfriend for me because you care more about my well-being than almost anyone, and that includes helping me be better when I mess up. I mean, even with this little fight...just the thought that I disappointed you made me want to figure out how to be better!

 “And professionally,” Adrien rolled his eyes, “Because I know Father cares about that, you’re the perfect girlfriend because of that whole story. We come from different backgrounds, but you’re not intimidated by mine. When you thought I was a stuck up rich boy, you wouldn’t stand by for unkind behavior a single day. You don’t let anyone piss you off, Marinette. Rich or poor, famous or not. You see everyone as a person...that makes you a good Ladybug, too. Plus, you’re a genius with designs. I told Father I think you’d make an _excellent_ succession for him in his company.”

 “You _said_ that?!”

 “He told me not to sell the fur before I’ve shot the bear, and that you’re only my first girlfriend. I told him that he shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and thought I meant he’d give it to you because we were going to get married,” Adrien grinned at his memory, “just that he should give it to you because one day, you were going to earn it anyway.” Marinette felt warm at Adrien’s confidence in her. She snuggled closer to his chest. “But just so you know, I still _totally_ plan on marrying you, if you’ll have me.”

 “Adrien,” Marinette laughed. Her smile was so wide it cracked her cheeks and she couldn’t seem to snuggle closer to his body. “You’re still only sixteen!”

 “Which gives us plenty of time to plan a wedding.”

 “Good point. Okay.” Marinette said. She wouldn’t argue him out of that. Adrien’s heart was suddenly pounding against his chest so hard, Marinette could feel and hear it. She smiled and pushed herself even closer until the pounding slowed. “Was that everything?”

 “I also told him that you’re beautiful and would look really good in all the pictures with me.”

 Marinette giggled. He’d told her she was beautiful so many times the past week, Marinette had finally begun to believe it. “I love you, Adrien. Mon Chat Noir.”

 His heart was pumping against Marinette’s ear again. “I love you too, Marinette. Ma Ladybug.”

 She looked up into his eyes. They were heavily lidded and dark. Hungry. Marinette set her flowers gently on the ground and took his hands, then slowly snaked her hands up his arms and around his neck, feeling his hands snake their way around her waist. They leaned in to kiss again.

 This kiss was slow and steady. It was full of the love they’d confessed and their apologies from the night before. They breathed deeply through their noses, hungry to keep mouths together. And as Marinette’s lips slowly moved to find purchase on his, she felt his tongue slowly, questioningly, touch her lips.

 Marinette moaned softly, her body shaking at just the tiniest touch. And she opened her mouth wider to let him in. Her knees buckled and so gently, Adrien and she lowered themselves to kneel on the unfamiliar roof. His tongue explored just the front of her mouth. Cautiously and kindly, licking her lips ( _mon dieu_ ), her teeth ( _oh_ , _mon dieu_ ), and her gums ( _putain de dieu!_ ). With her body still shaking, she let her tongue slip out of its place behind her bottom teeth and cautiously touch his. And she heard Adrien groan so loudly, he pulled away. “Was that too much?” Marinette asked, breathlessly.

 “No,” Adrien husked, returning his mouth to hers and gripping Marinette so tight, she thought she might break.

 The two teenagers continued kissing on their knees for several minutes. Marinette decided that Alya was right- kissing with tongue _did_ get less weird after you’ve tried it more than once. Or maybe it had something to do with the boy she was kissing. Or maybe both. But if it was this good on only the second time she’d tried, she was already looking forward to the third.

 They only stopped when Marinette’s lips and both their knees began to hurt. Adrien admitted it was probably a good thing they stopped then, adjusting his pants with a look of slight discomfort. “I’m sorry that’s uncomfortable,” Marinette said, a little awkwardly.

 “Cookie, this is the best kind of uncomfortable anyone can ever feel,” he promised, kissing her cheek. “It is getting late. When I left Alya, she said she was going to work on the article about our conversation and…” he pulled out his phone, reading the notifications on the screen. Marinette looked over his shoulder at the missed texts from Nino, game notifications, and the one from the Ladyblog. “She posted it a quarter hour ago. I should return you.”

 Marinette agreed. She swept up her flowers and they called back their kwamis. Plagg had gotten rid of their garbage- Marinette wasn’t sure how, but she didn’t want to ask. Tikki happily returned to her spot in Marinette’s jacket, as did Plagg to his spot in Adrien’s. Hand-in-hand, Marinette and Adrien walked down the staircase down four flights of stairs and into the strange building’s main floor, then out onto the street. They passed a handful of Parisians, but not too many. Toussaint was not a night for partying, especially on a Thursday. Light conversation carried them all the way to Alya’s building.

 “So...Tikki said you named our children already?”

 “ _Adrien!_ ” Marinette smacked Adrien’s arm.

 He laughed, defending himself from her. “Hey, I just want to know if they’re the same names I’ve thought of for our kittens.”

 “Why kittens, hmm? Why is it all about you, monsieur?” Marinette teased, one hand on her hip.

 “Would you rather we call them _larva_?!”

 “That’s dégueulasse! [11] We’re not calling them larva!” They came to a stop in front of Alya’s building.

 “Hence: Kittens,” Adrien smiled. “So...will you tell me?”

 Marinette shook her head. “Maybe later, monsieur. I need to go see Alya now. Can I tell her you caught up with me to talk in person?” She shook her bouquet. “Otherwise, I need to think of some great excuse for these.”

 Adrien hummed in thought, stroking her hair. “That _does_ make me sound like a great, attentive boyfriend, doesn’t it?”

 “And it explains why I left her alone for almost an hour.”

 He chuckled and placed a chaste kiss on Marinette’s lips. “Then yes. I came to apologize and to tell you the good news. I’ll see you tomorrow, choupette.”

 Marinette returned the goodbye, giving him a searing kiss of her own. This one, she chanced slipping her tongue between his lips for just a teasing moment, and pulled away. Marinette waved goodbye to his wide, shocked eyes and pushed open Alya’s apartment building. Now, she just had to figure out how to make her legs work and climb the stairs back to Alya’s home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 "They'd each been served a watered down taste of Marlena's wine with dinner, not even enough to make an impact.": This is a very common French (and European) practice. Kids are introduced to alcohol at the family dinner table, often for special events, but watered down so it's more a taste and less of a buzz. Some older teenagers get a small glass. It's not a "forbidden drink", just an adult one. The drinking age increased in 2009 to be 18 (it used to be 16 for wine), but vendors usually don't card- they just use their best judgement. Under-age drinking is far less of a rager culture in France and Europe. It's just an entirely different culture than in the US.  
> 2"tu casses mes pieds": Literally, "you're breaking my feet". This means "you're annoying me", but it's said in an exasperated voice, like one would say "good grief!" or "oh, my god!", or "you're driving me crazy!" (Sometimes, people 'break' other limbs, like arms. But feet is the most common.)  
> 3 SO this is obviously all in English. I hemmed and hawed over whether to put this in French or English, since he's using a mnemonic device and an acronym, and went with English for legibility. If you're curious, the French would have been: collaboration, héroïsme, créativité, bravoure, amité, gentillesse. CHeC BAG.  
> 4 "ga'sons": this is an accented pronunciation of "garçons", or "boys". Marlena's accent is thicker when she's drunk.  
> 5"Sa ka fèt?": _Martinician Creole_ \- What's up?  
> 6"C’est fou, ça!": Literally, "It's crazy, that!" This is another instance of the French repeating the subject to add emphasis.  
> 7 "ca-ca": poop. Or poopy.  
> 8"paperasserie": "Paperwork" wow I love this word. It sounds soooo much more flippant and frustrated than "paperwork".  
> 9"Ce connard me fait chier": This means "That asshole pisses me off" but literally means "That asshole makes me take a dump/have diarrhea". _colorful_  
>  10“C’est la fête!”: "It's a (the) party!" and ohhhhh my gosh this is The Most Popular excuse for anything and everything I ever heard. When company was over and you wanted to watch another movie, drink more wine, stay up late, spend a lot of money, break any normal rule at all...IT'S A PARTY! The French like to pretend that they like their strict regularity...but the minute you can call anything "a party"...  
> 11"dégueulasse": Disgusting. 'Disgusting' comes in two levels. Dégoûtant, which is a little bit more proper, and dégueulasse, which is ruder and slang. Kids say it a LOT, but their parents get mad when they do. But it's not a full-on swear. And then a lot of kids will just say "dégue", because it's short and fast and sounds like both versions- it's more like saying 'Gross!'


	11. What they Saw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am about a month behind. :( I'm sorry! I went on my vacation and then life just ~got away~ and since I've been to busy to write this story, I also forgot to post it...?  
> Anyway, hoPEFULLY I can sprinkle extra posts in for the rest of December and get us somewhat caught up. Otherwise, just...try to remember what November was like, y'all.

Camera flashes barely even dilated Adrien’s eyes. His well-practiced, comfortable default smile rested on his face comfortably, but nowhere near as comfortably as his hand held Marinette’s on top of the table where they sat. Adrien and Marinette wore outfits picked out by Gabriel Agreste (or likely someone at his company), upcoming designs from his teen pret-a-porter line. Nathalie stood by, representing Gabriel. The father himself was nowhere to be seen, but his photo appeared behind them as if he supported the teenage relationship with no ulterior motives. 

 Frankly, Adrien hadn’t considered whether or not Gabriel _did_ have ulterior motives. He was just happy this was happening. He was holding hands with his girlfriend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the Ladybug to his Chat Noir, and they had just told the press for the past thirty minutes about their relationship. It was public. It was out there. He had told the press with a big, wide smile that he was happy with Marinette and all across Paris, a million hearts had broken. But Adrien, even soft-hearted, loving Adrien, didn’t care. What his fans thought didn’t matter. What his father thought didn’t matter. None of them knew Adrien, every side to him, the way Marinette knew Adrien. Only her thoughts mattered, and she loved him.

 Nathalie spoke cooly and calmly, moderating the conference for Adrien and Marinette. “We have time for one last question,” she announced. A dozen hands shot up, voices shouting for attention. Nathalie called on a tall, bald man.

 “Alec Cataldi, KIDZ+. My question is for Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. Mademoiselle… Many teenagers your age are looking for a way to be popular and get noticed. Is this your way to get noticed, maybe a little bit more? I mean,” he laughed, gesturing with wide arms to the room of reporters, “you’re certainly noticed now!”

 Marinette leaned forward into her desk mic. Adrien stared at her lips, barely parted in a sweet smile. “Thank you, Monsieur Cataldi. You ask, am I dating Adrien Agreste so I can be noticed. And, well, my answer is _no_. I want the world to notice me for what I do, not just who I do it with. If I get noticed, I want it to be for my fashion designs, once I’ve learned enough to be professional. I am proud to be with Adrien and to consider him my partner, best friend, and boyfriend. Euh, I...I believe our relationship is going to make everything that we do with fashion, friendship, school…” she turned to Adrien and met his eyes with her big blue ones. Marinette’s smile became a little more genuine when she met his. Then she turned back, so the mic could pick up on her voice. “Everything we do will be... better because of our mutual support. Hopefully, that mutual support will help my fashion designs eventually be noticed. And not just because of name recognition!” The audience laughed. “No, but because Adrien supports me in my passions and I support him in his.”

 Marinette leaned back, away from the mic. Alec looked satisfied and said “Thank you, mademoiselle,” before sitting back down. Adrien beamed at his girlfriend. Surely, that answer gave him everything he wanted. It gave Adrien everything _he_ wanted. _My Lady is killing this today! She is on a roll!_

 Nathalie stepped forward again, eyes washing over the press as if they were not screaming and vying for attention, but as if she searched for something far more important just over their heads. “That will be all. No further questions.” She curtly motioned for Adrien and Marinette to stand. Just like he had his life, Adrien followed Nathalie’s sweeping hand and noticed Marinette slightly stumbling to do the same. She bid them follow, Adrien’s bodyguard following close behind. Adrien heard the roar of voices and saw the flashing cameras until they were silenced by the gorilla of a man shutting the door.

 Standing side-by-side, Adrien and Marinette were greeted by the matching grins of Marinette’s parents, extremely unlike the stoic faces of his own household. Sabine spread her arms wide in delight. “You two were wonderful!”

 “Madame Cheng, please. The conference was satisfactory at best.”

 Sabine blinked in surprise, turning to Nathalie. “O-oh, well, I don’t make a habit of watching press conferences much,” she admitted. “From our screen, everything looked great.” Adrien saw her turn her attention back to her only daughter, beaming again.

 Tom asked, “So, does ‘satisfactory’ mean you all think you gave the press what they want? Will our little girl be hunted down by the paparazzi?”

 “On a slow news day, maybe,” Nathalie answered, sounding bored. She turned back to her tablet. “Everything’s moving according to schedule. Madame Cheng and Monsieur Dupain, your paperwork is in order, signing model rights for Marinette and our Nondisclosure Agreements regarding the relationship and Adrien. The press,” she pointed her pen at the closed door, as if she had to remind Marinette’s parents who or what that was, “will never be the first to hear any new information you learn about either of them. You have my contact information. Follow the proper channels.”

 Tom nodded, trying to look both interested and confident. “Yes, we were there. We remember. Marinette…” He put an arm out for his daughter. Adrien felt her squeeze his hand once before practically jumping into her father’s open arms. “Marinette, you held your own. Your mother and I are _so_ proud of you!” Tom kissed Marinette’s head. “You didn’t stammer or stutter once up there. So in your element!” Adrien’s heart filled with pride. She had turned on Full Ladybug up there and soon, all of France (or at least the France that watched teen fashion news) would love her the way Adrien did. The way Tom did.

 Tom lifted his head from Marinette’s and met Nathalie’s eyes. “We’d like to take the children out for a quick celebration. Our lunch was so...business-like, we hardly had a chance to talk!”

 “Of course,” Sabine interrupted, “it was a business lunch, so we aren’t complaining.” She gave her most professional smile to Nathalie. “We just want to make sure the kids get a chance to celebrate as a public couple. Would you two like to join?” She politely looked between Nathalie and Adrien’s bodyguard.

 Nathalie blinked once. “Monsieur Agreste has pressing matters at work that I need to attend to. The day after a holiday always requires a lot of work, and we are sure there will be some press looking for clarification after the conference. However, Adrien is free for his school holiday until sixteen hours. Monsieur Gorille will join you. Adrien-” Adrien looked up at his name. “You will keep us updated on your whereabouts. Enjoy your day off.”

 Adrien grinned. Yes, he would have loved to have his father join lunch. But a day off? At least until four? That was a dream! “Of course, Nathalie. Have a great day!”

 Nathalie smiled slightly. Her hand reached out uncomfortably, as if not practiced. She touched Adrien’s shoulder, saying, “You too, Adrien.” Robotically, she pulled back and reached out to shake Marinette’s parents’ hands as they had at lunch. “It was a pleasure to meet you. We appreciate your professionalism and participation in this relationship.”

 Tom waited until Nathalie was out of sight, then bent down, one hand on each teenager’s shoulders. He looked up at Sabine, at Adrien’s bodyguard, and then back down to Adrien and Marinette. “I don’t know about you both, but those tiny portion sizes of lunch may have been gourmet...but certainly not filling. Who is up for second lunch?”

 All four listening raised their hands.

 \---

Sabine, Tom, Adrien, Marinette, and Adrien’s bodyguard sat at a table for five in an outside café. The café owners had closed the clear plastic walls to keep the chill early November air off of their late lunches. They were sitting over empty plates, chattering away like a comfortable family. Marinette and Adrien had snuck portions of their meals to their kwamis in secret, but most of the meal was too delicious to not eat themselves. A few paparazzis had snapped pictures of their lunch, fresh pictures for the fresh news of the young couple.  “And did you hear Marinette answer that question about kissing? When that gross man asked what it’s like to kiss Adrien?” Sabine gushed, looking at Adrien as she held Tom’s hand.

 “Maman, that one was embarrassing!” Marinette complained.

 Adrien turned to her quickly, smiling lovingly. “But you answered it so well!” He looked back at Sabine and nodded. “ ‘We like to keep our affection private and prefer not to discuss it. We believe all public displays should be polite to not make anyone else uncomfortable.’ And then that end...‘after all, no one needs to know what it’s like to kiss Adrien except for his girlfriend.’ Casséééé!!” [1]

 Tom and Sabine laughed, Marinette just a pleasant tint of red. Adrien felt Marinette’s hand on his leg and turned to look at her. “You don’t think that was too much?”

 “Cookie, no. He was a creep and your answer was so polite! But so deadly!” He grinned. “You broke him, chèrie.” He could hear Tom chuckle again. Adrien realized, not for the first time that lunch, how at home he felt around her parents. Tom and Sabine had always been extremely welcoming since the first time he walked in the boulangerie to see Marinette. But now that they were together, it was like they had taken him on as a son. In fact, Sabine had lectured Adrien about finishing his vegetables, even though she’d insisted he ate too much salad in the same conversation. He didn’t mind extra parents at all.

 “I was just trying to follow you, Adrien,” Marinette promised. “You were so natural up there. I know you said you’ve never done a press conference, but you sure acted like you had!”

 Sabine gasped lightly. “That was your first press conference, Adrien? Ooh, I had no idea! What an impressive young man!” Adrien beamed, something warm stirring inside of him. “You are both so wonderful. Tom, could you have ever done anything like that at their age?”

 Tom belly-laughed. He shook his head and put down his single glass of wine. “Certainly not! I wasn’t always the poised, polished man I am today,” he said with a roguish wink. They all laughed. “Actually, mon chou, you got your nervous stutter from me.”

 A camera flashed at the five of them. They ignored it.

 “I still don’t believe that, Papa!” Marinette said, shaking her head. “You? Nervous and stuttering?”

 “You’d better believe it! And it was normally around pretty girls, too.” He beamed at Adrien, slapping the table excitedly. “You ever wonder why my little Marinette couldn’t talk around you, son? Because she’s a big romantic softie like her father! We clam up around intimidatingly beautiful people!”

 “Papa!” Marinette laughed. She squeezed Adrien’s hand and Adrien could tell she wasn’t angry this time.

 Tom turned his attention to his wife, putting a soft finger under her chin. “How long was it until I could talk to you in complete sentences, ma bichette?”

 Sabine giggled. “We’d been working together for three months at Monsieur Marieur’s patisserie. I thought Tom was a gros bête [2]...in every sense of the word.” She laughed and turned back to Tom. “You fumbled the order and made sixty strawberry macarons instead of raspberry macarons.” 

 “You mean, you _thought_ I fumbled the order,” Tom corrected, grinning at the memory.

 “You’re spoiling the story for Adrien! He hasn’t heard this one yet,” Sabine chastised. She turned to Adrien with an apologetic smirk, which earned her a laugh from him, and then looked back to Tom. “I was yelling at you in the storeroom and you got so frustrated with me...ooh, there was mustard in your nose, [3]” she laughed, looking back at the kids, “he was _bright_ red! Finally, he said-”

 “Sabine Cheng, I may not be able to do math like you can, but I can certainly read a macaron order!” Tom finished. “I was so frustrated, I forgot to be nervous around her. I showed her what I did right and why she thought it was wrong. Sabine was so shocked that I could actually talk, she forgot to get mad that I talked back to a superior.”

 “She was your superior?” Adrien asked, eyes wide.

 “I was one of two managers, yes,” Sabine said with a small smile. “That shop was what gave us our idea to open our own. After we started dating and fell in love, of course. It didn’t take long for either of us after that day. He apologized, I told him I was proud of him for finding some courage, and I suddenly found myself supervising a tall, strong, big teddy-bear of a man. And an _incredible_ baker with a hilarious sense of humor.”

 “Hilarious?” Marinette asked, laughing a little herself. “Maman, Papa’s jokes are terrible!”

 “There’s something awfully endearing about a man who finds humor in life and in himself, though. Don’t you think?” Sabine wrapped an arm around Tom’s much larger arm. “Especially when he got the courage to make jokes _while_ he flirted.”

 Adrien sat up. He felt like if he were wearing his cat ears, they would be perked. He turned his smile towards Marinette. “I think your mom is on to something! What do you think? Haven’t we had a pun-derful courtship?”

 “Adrien,” Marinette laughed, “Maybe for half of it!”

 “The _better half_?” Adrien asked with a wink. From the side of his eye, he could see Tom and Sabine share a meaningful look and wide smiles.

 “Humor is a good way to feel comfortable around a crush. I think that was your father’s idea.”

 Adrien turned his wild grin towards Tom, nodding. “And it’s a wonderful idea, monsieur!”

 “Please, son, call me Tom,” Tom asked, smiling at Adrien. Adrien’s heart couldn’t be fuller if he’d asked him to call him ‘Papa’.

 Sabine turned her entire body towards Adrien and Marinette, her smile turning mischievous. “Now, what about my daughter? How long did it take _her_ to speak in complete sentences around you, Adrien?”

 “ _Maman!_ ” Marinette squealed.

 “It was over a year,” Adrien laughed. He turned to Marinette, who was hiding her face in her hand- the one that wasn’t holding her boyfriend’s hand at least. Adrien put his own hand on her face, drawing her eyes up to him. “It’s a shame, because the Marinette who takes charge when she needs to do something scary- like in today’s conference-...the moment I saw that side of her, lightning struck.”

 Sabine gasped, putting her hand to her heart. It wasn’t exactly like the story Adrien had claimed in the conference. It was truer to their reality, and he was too busy staring into Marinette’s heaven blue eyes to worry about that. “When was that, Adrien?”

 “What?” Adrien snapped to look at Sabine. He started to blush...the moment in his mind, back in their second battle with Stoneheart, wasn’t something he could share. When did he start falling for Marinette outside of her costume? “I don’t know,” he finally said, honestly. “I only realized I liked her back in early October, a few weeks before I asked her out, but it was kind of like realizing what had been there for a long time. I’ve been trying to figure out when the moment was every day since then, but every day, the answer is a little different. It goes back a little farther in time. All the times when she was kind to me, all the many times she stood up for our friends...I _know_ I liked her long before I _knew_ I liked her.” He saw Sabine rest her head against Tom, both parents looking at him with such love and sweetness in their eyes. Honestly, it made Adrien so emotional, he had to clear his throat. “I was working up the courage to say something as soon as I figured it out.”

 “Study dates at the Eiffel Tower?” Tom asked softly.

 Adrien scratched the back of his neck. “Heh, yeah.”

 Tom nudged Marinette from across the table. “See, mon chou? I _told_ you it was a romantic study date.”

 Just barely blushing, but certainly scooting closer to Adrien, Marinette mumbled, “I’m not disagreeing with you _now_ , Papa…”

 Adrien gently kissed Marinette’s forehead and heard the smallest of ‘aww’s from across the table. “Maybe it’s a good thing Marinette was so shy around me at first. I got to know her as a friend before I got a crush on her. If she’d stayed the scary, powerful girl who yelled at me about chewing gum, I probably would have been the one stammering and shy.”

 Marinette rolled her head up on Adrien’s shoulder, one eyebrow up as she smirked. “Are you sure you wouldn’t have just been an insatiable flirt?” Marinette asked.

 “In a brand new school around actual kids my age for the first time, with _social expectations_ and no superpowers to help me out?” Adrien asked back.”Since, uh, _no_ kids have super powers?” He shook his head. “Chèrie, I would have been a _cat_ erpillar who only grew into a _stutter_ fly.”

 “Ooh, Marinette told me about the chewing gum incident,” Sabine said with a heavy nod. “I can see why her reaction would have caused such respect if she hadn’t gotten so shy right after.”

 Adrien sat up in surprise. Marinette told her mom? Did that mean she told her about her crush the entire time? Did she know about it when she said she liked him better than Luka? “She told you about that?”

 “That was so embarrassing for her. She really thought she lost your friendship before she ever had it!”

 Tom grinned. “But _I_ knew it would work out. She brought home that umbrella you leant her...it’s still in our closet, isn’t it?” _The umbrella_...Adrien replayed that fateful day in the rain with a smile. It was a much sweeter memory now, even the moment where the umbrella closed on Marinette.

 “No one’s allowed to use it, lest it get lost,” Sabine agreed with a laugh.

 “But if it rains on your wedding day, we’re _ready_!” Tom cheered.

 “ _PAPA!”_ Marinette shrieked. Adrien, caught up in the memory, just grinned wide. He could imagine their wedding just as clearly as he could remember how their hands brushed when he handed Marinette the umbrella.

 Sabine ignored her daughter’s horror and sighed. “Oh, that would be so _romantic_ , Tom. She’d hand the umbrella back to him as they leave the church...it’d be full circle.”

 “Maman, no!”

 Adrien ignored Marinette as well, adding in his own dreamy voice, “Except this time, we’d get in the car together, the way we should have.”

 “Adrien,” Marinette squealed, face going redder, “Don’t encourage them!”

 Adrien looked over at Marinette, blinking. “But it’d be romantic!”

 “Adrien, we just announced we’re dating _today_!”

 In response, he grinned. “What better day to plan a wedding?” He could hear Plagg groan.

 “Ooh, Marinette, I like him,” Sabine told her daughter with a wink. 

 “Yes, Maman, you’ve told me,” Marinette said, blushing furiously.

 “All I’m saying is it’s hard to find a boy who will help plan a wedding. Your father only cared about the croquembouche! [1]”

 Tom frowned under his moustache. “Ey-oh, the croquembouche is very important!”

 “And ours was wonderful, mon gros,” Sabine agreed, poking her husband. “But let’s make sure Adrien and Marinette have actual chairs at their reception and don’t have to borrow from the neighbors.”

 Adrien inhaled sharply. “Oh, Father would never allow for that. Mother almost wasn’t allowed to even have ‘something borrowed’ at their wedding.”

 Sabine’s eyebrows raised and her lips shrank together. She put her hands on the table and said sharply, “Well, your Father isn’t here to help plan, is he?” She gestured to Adrien’s bodyguard, sitting silently between Adrien and Sabine. “Monsieur Gorille can help us plan instead. And you wouldn’t mind a few borrowed things at the wedding, would you, Monsieur?”

 The bodyguard blinked. He cracked a smile. And he shook his head.

 Marinette groaned. “Not you too, Monsieur!” 

 Adrien paused as her parents laughed. “This...does this really bother you, Marinette? If it does, we can change the subject. I don’t want to pressure you.”

 Sabine clicked her tongue in sympathy, following Adrien’s lead. “Oh, mon cœur. You know we’re just teasing! You’re both very young. We don’t want this wedding for another two years at least.”

 “Two?! Four or more. Not before you’re twenty, young lady! I’m not ready to be a pépère,” Tom added.

 Marinette pulled her head up and crossed her arms. Adrien looked at her expression- a stoic mouth and serious eyebrows, but her eyes betrayed a hint of a joke. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling, just waiting to hear what His Lady had to say. “Well, good. Because I’m designing my own dress and Adrien’s tux, and they won’t be ready until then anyway.”

 The table laughed. Adrien even heard his bodyguard chuckle...a low, rumbling chuckle. Sabine’s eyes sparkled at her daughter. “White or red, mon cœur?”

 “You’ll have to wait and see, Maman.” She put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. The family laughed and slowly changed topics again. Adrien looked over to catch Marinette’s loving smile. The café and all the chattering adult voices faded away as he got lost in her eyes yet again. A red dress of Chinese tradition, a white dress that was more French...Marinette could marry him in blue jeans at a courthouse and it would be all the same, as long as it felt like this moment.

 Quietly so only his girlfriend could hear, he said, “You do look really good in red.”

 Marinette giggled. “I’m not getting married in spandex, minou. And you’re not getting married in skin-tight leather!”

 Adrien raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I’m not?” He grinned at her- his best Chat Noir grin. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

  
\---

 

The moment Adrien stepped into Le Grand Paris Hotel Sunday morning, he was nearly tackled to the ground. “ _ Adrichou!!!” _ Chloé squealed, rushing down the stairs and leaping into Adrien’s arms. Adrien wobbled under her weight and sudden attack. However, he noticed that his silent bodyguard didn’t even flinch. This behavior had been expected from Chloé for years- just heightened when he started attending her same school, as if she had something to prove.

“Ooh, Adrichou, I have so much to tell you,” Chloé gushed. She pulled herself just far away enough to place two giant air kisses against his cheeks.

“That’s great, Chloé,” Adrien told her, pulling away a little awkwardly, “but you  _ know _ I’m dating Marinette now.” The eyeroll informed him that yes, she knew. “You shouldn’t call me that anymore.”

“Why, does  _ she  _ call you Adrichou?”

“No, but-”

“Then it’s not like you’re going to get us confused,” Chloé reasoned, as if that was the only explanation Adrien would need. “Marinette dating you changes  _ nothing _ between us. Anyway, we do have things to talk about regarding... _ that _ unfortunate update,” Chloé waved her hand dismissively, “but I wanted to tell you about my trip first!”

Adrien chuckled. Same old Chloé. “Okay...so tell me.”

Chloé spun around, her ponytail nearly smacking Adrien in the face. “Jean!” She called, clapping twice. “Jean!” Her butler was already in the room, walking towards Chloé with his ever-still face.  

“Yes, mademoiselle?”

“Adrien and I are thirsty. Get us some mint tea.” She turned to Adrien, beaming and explaining, “It’s  _ very _ popular in Marrakesh.”

 “Of course, mademoiselle,” Jean said with a bow. Adrien watched the butler and noticed he made eye contact with Adrien’s own paid protector. They seemed to have a silent conversation before Jean finally left. Chloé grabbed Adrien by the hand, pulling him over to some plush couches in the hotel lobby.

 “I assume you already followed my Snap story, right?” Chloé asked, pulling out her phone and opening it to the photos. “So you saw all the scenery around the resort.”

 “Did you get a chance to explore the city?”

 “That smelly old dust bucket?” Chloé asked, turning up her nose in distaste. “Mother showed me some of it, but Mother has _much_ better taste than to waste our time with that. No, most of our trip was at our resort, La Mamounia, in the gardens, at the pool, at the spa…” she flipped through pictures, most of which were of herself, but many which had all sorts of hotel accommodations. “Mother thinks it is _much_ more luxurious than Father’s hotel.”

 “So...you stayed at the spa for the entire week?” Adrien asked, not surprised, but a little disappointed in his friend. 

 “Don’t be ridiculous, Adrien. Of course not. Mother took me shopping. We went to a bazaar- the clean one- and I got the most wonderful things.” She paused to beam at Adrien. “Mother says that she thinks I’m growing into someone she likes spending time with, now that I’m not a child anymore.” Her smile was so sincere and tender, it looked unreal on Chloé’s face.  Adrien had been lucky enough to see that smile before. Not for years, though. “She says she wants to take me on vacation again. I hope it’s soon.”

 “Chloé, that’s great!” Adrien leaned forward and gripped her hands, his smile almost matching hers. She had been his only source of comfort when Adrien’s mother disappeared. Chloé’s mother hadn’t left in quite the same way- it was an unofficial, quiet drop in frequency of visits until the Bourgeois parents had two full time residences in separate countries. Still, in between the practically political visits to her daughter (most rare when she was a young girl) or appear for one or another business trip, Chloé never heard a thing from Audrey Bourgeois. She could relate to Adrien’s abandonment issues and lack of maternal support. She had years of practice at it.

 “It is great, isn’t it?” she agreed, softer. Still smiling, Chloé continued, “Of course, Mother is busy and we didn’t spend all our time together in Marrakesh. So I went out and met people. See? This…” she flipped to a different picture with Chloé arm-in-arm with a different blonde girl. This girl was paler than Chloé, her hair just a shade darker (probably more natural than Chloé’s hair) with expensive-looking lowlights framing her face. They had nearly the same eyes, similar tiny frames, and definitely the same expression of joy on their faces. “This is Chiara.” Chloé sounded proud at the name, zooming in just slightly and cutting her own face out of the frame.

 Adrien looked at Chloé in shock. Had she really just zoomed her own face _out_ of the picture?

  
“Chiara is from Geneva. That’s Switzerland, Adrien. Romandy.”

 “I know where Geneva is-”

 “She was also staying at La Mamounia. We met at the breakfast buffet one morning. Neither of us were eating much.” Chloé seemed to look back fondly on her memory of self-deprivation. “She was there with her parents and we became fast friends. She’s _very_ nice. ‘Bonnard’, as she would say. And she has the best accent! She’s smart, like me, and really understands life. She’s back in Geneva now, so I told her I would call her on her _natel_ as soon as I got home. That’s Swiss-French for mobile phone, Adrichou. Oh, I showed her a picture of you.”

 Adrien cringed. He knew Chloé had a tendency to introduce him to strangers as her boyfriend. “What did you say about me?”

 “That you were a world-famous model and my oldest childhood friend, of course! What else would I say?” She flipped through more pictures of herself and Chiara. They all had slightly different backgrounds, but it was almost impossible to discern any other difference. A selfie with Chiara’s arm around Chloé, a selfie with Chloé’s arm around Chiara, a bisou selfie, another selfie, another selfie...“Oh, and that you were sinking below your station and dating a _baker’s daughter_. See, Chiara understands. _She_ is the daughter of a very wealthy, very successful, chocolatier. Chocolate is very important in Switzerland and her family is very wealthy. She’s important in society, so she has to be smart about who she dates. She’s people like us, Adrien.”

 “And bread isn’t important to the people of France?” Adrien asked, squinting at Chloé.

 “What? Of course it is...but Marinette’s parents aren’t _extremely rich_. It’s _different_ ,” she scoffed. “Anyway...this reminds me. Can I borrow your natel?” Expectantly, Chloé put out a hand.

 “My what?”

 “Adrien, I _just_ told you. Seriously, try to keep up. Natel means mobile phone.” She snapped her fingers impatiently. “Can I borrow your natel?”

 “What for?”

 “To take a selfie of us, of course,” Chloé said, rolling her eyes. “I haven’t seen my oldest friend for nearly two weeks and if I don’t take one now, people will think we waited until tomorrow at _collège_ to reunite. We can’t let that stand.”

 Now Adrien was confused for a _lot_ of reasons. Why his phone? And what did she mean, _collège_? They were in lycée now! He was about to answer when Jean appeared behind them, clearing his throat.

 “Your tea, mademoiselle and monsieur.” Jean offered the tea. There were three cups there, not just two. Chloé snatched up hers, cradling the cup before taking a drink.

 “Thank you, Jean,” Adrien said as he took his cup. 

 “Oh yes, thank you, Jean,” Chloé added as an afterthought.

 Adrien looked back to Chloé and watched Jean deliver the third cup to Adrien’s silent bodyguard. He wondered if Plagg felt left out, hiding in his jacket with no tea. But he voiced his thoughts on Chloé’s statement, not Plagg’s state of neglect. “Why did you say collège? We’re not in collège anymore.”

 “Of course we are, Adrichou. Don’t be such a frouz [5]. Now, your natel?” She snapped again, putting her hand out.

 Adrien was even more confused. Was he missing something? He heard Jean clear his throat and looked up, hopefully, at Chloé’s loyal butler.

 “Has Mademoiselle told you about her new friend, Chiara?”

“I was just telling him about her, Jean,” Chloé answered for Adrien.

 Jean nodded understandingly. “Adrien, in Geneva, they say ‘collège’ to mean ‘lycée’. And ‘cycle’ to mean ‘collège’. Chloé has been practicing her Swiss French ever since we returned from Morocco.”

 “That’s confusing,” Adrien complained. Luckily for Chloé, she had confused him so much with her French, he hadn’t bothered continuing to wonder why she wanted to use his phone and not her own, so he mindlessly handed it to her.

 Chloé beamed, sat close to Adrien, and gave her best duck-face for the camera. She snapped the picture, then held the phone close so Adrien couldn’t watch as she surely sent the picture to herself, tapping the phone to text furiously. “I’m sending it to myself. Then, I can send it to Chiara and show her we’ve reunited. She’ll be so happy. She’s always so happy, Adrichou. _Especially_ when I send her pictures of myself! She’s like a puppy, but _much_ cuter and much less…” she made a face, “slobbery. You would like Chiara. She’d be more suited to you than the _Dupain-Cheng_ girl.”

 Adrien felt a small fire of defense flare up in his chest. “I like Marinette! You think I should date your friend Chiara? Is that why you’re talking about her?”

 “What? No! No. Oh, in the name of god, _no_. You’re not dating Chiara. No! I meant…” she huffed a sigh. “I meant you _really_ shouldn’t date below your station, Adrien. I don’t even know how your father allowed it, frankly. I mean, did you _see_ that disaster of a press conference?” Chloé sipped her tea, giving Adrien quite the sideways glance over the lip of her cup. “She’s a mess at this stuff. It takes practice, poise, and perfectionism to handle the spotlight. It just isn’t suited for girls like her.”

 “Chloé, I did not come visit you to have you insult my girlfriend,” Adrien growled. “I _will_ leave if you keep this up. I adore Marinette. We like each other, we picked each other, and we-”

 “Adrichou, Adrichou, _please_ ,” Chloé interrupted, sounding bored. “Honestly, I’m not trying to change your mind. That press conference taught the world two things. One,” she stuck up a thumb to count, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng is an _idiot_ around the camera and has never had an interview before in her life. Two,” she stuck out her index finger, “you’re absolutely _obsessed_ with her. I mean really, Adrichou. Have you seen how you looked on film?” She put her hand down and rolled her eyes. “It’s pathetic. I’m not saying you should dump her _now_. It’s too late; you’re in the public eye together. We can only move forward, not backwards. Still...someone more used to this kind of thing would have been much better for you.”

 “So, like Chiara,” Adrien asked again.

 “ _Not_ like Chiara,” Chloé rehashed. “Like me, obviously! Or someone else beautiful and loved by the Parisian public…like Ladybug.”

 Adrien choked on his tea. It stung his nose and stung his eyes, but he could feel the mirth in his throat. “You think I should be dating Ladybug?”

 “Well, why not? She’s gorgeous, she’s famous, she’s popular, she knows how to work a camera... _she_ is much better suited to our station of popularity.”

 Adrien started to laugh. He didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t help it. Leave it to Chloé to bash Marinette and try to set Adrien up with Marinette anyway. He laughed louder and longer, frustrating Chloé. At least in one way or another, his oldest friend approved of his relationship.

 “Arrête, Adrien. Arrête. [6]Stop! Stop laughing!” Chloé chastised. And he was trying! It was just...once she’d gotten him started, it was hard to stop. She turned to look around nervously at the lobby, hoping no one was staring at him. Then, Chloé gasped. “Speak of the devil!” 

 He took a deep breath to calm himself and followed Chloé’s gaze. There, just past the revolving lobby doors, stood the most beautiful girl in all of Paris. His girlfriend. What was she doing here? He had told her that he was meeting up with Chloé, but he didn’t ask her to come. Marinette looked around the lobby and spotted Adrien, relief flooding her face. She hurried over, a confusing look of desperation and concern on her expression. 

 “Merdre, Dupain-Cheng. Lesson number one: be a little less desperate. God! You hardly got that text three minutes ago. How did you even get here so fast?” Chloé chastised, crossing her arms across her chest.

 “Bonjour to you too, Chloé. Welcome back. Adrien, what’s wrong? You said it was urgent?” Marinette asked, grabbing Adrien’s wrist nervously. “Do we need to...go help? Are you okay?”

 “Marinette, I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Adrien replied, looking between the girls. Chloé’s expression was unreadable, just her resting ‘unimpressed’ face. Marinette’s expression was just searching Adrien. “I didn’t say anything was urgent!”

 “Yes, you did,” Chloé answered, waving Adrien’s phone that was still in her hand. “ _I_ texted Marinette and told her to come right away.”

 Both Adrien and Marinette snapped to Chloé, shouting, “What?!”

 “I needed to talk to her about your public image. Please, Adrichou, this is a personal favor. Stop looking at me like I did something wrong! This is nice.”

 Marinette pulled herself up to her full height, crossing her arms and pouting. “Then why not text me yourself?”

 Chloé’s eye roll was so big, it looked like it might have hurt. “Oh, mon oeil [7]. As if you would _ever_ come running when I ask you to!” Marinette opened her mouth to fight back, quickly realized the truth in Chloé’s statement, and shut it again. “Mm-hmm,” Chloé emphasized. “And if Adrien told you that I wanted to talk, you wouldn’t have come either.” Decisively, she put Adrien’s phone back in his lap.

 “I would have for Adrien!”

 “Not risking it,” Chloé said, admiring her nails and then taking another sip of tea. Without prompting, Jean offered a fourth cup of mint tea to Marinette, who took it with grateful surprise. “Anyway. As I was just telling mon Adrichou before you arrived, if you two _insist_ on dating, then you,” she jabbed a finger towards Marinette, “need to learn how to behave in front of cameras. The paparazzi are very good at finding unflattering angles, of which you have-” she gave Marinette a once over, the corner of her lips lifting in distaste, “many. Of course I don’t have that particular problem, but I want to help. Consider it my public service.”

 Adrien shared a look with Marinette. She looked upset, but unsure. He shrugged, as if to say, _I guess it can’t hurt_. And so Marinette sat down on the couch next to them. Adrien turned to her, kissing her cheek and making Chloé gag next to them. “You missed the best part. Chloé was just telling me that I should have dated _Ladybug_ instead of you.” He grinned at Marinette.

 Marinette’s eyes sparkled in amusement. “You? Date Ladybug? That could have been something!”

 “Do you think Ladybug would have ever gone for a dope like me?”

 “I definitely know _you_ would have gone for her,” Marinette teased, bopping Adrien’s nose. “Ladybug, though? Date a civilian? Even one as handsome and charming as you….hmmm.”

 “What, do you think she should have dated Chat Noir?” Adrien asked, waggling his eyebrows. 

 At that suggestion, Chloé interrupted the two teenagers. “Okay, no. Dégu. Beurk! Ladybug would _never_ date that mangy alley cat.”

 Adrien and Marinette both looked over at her in surprise. Adrien glanced at Marinette, letting her lead. They had finally and completely recovered over their fight about Ladybug and Chat Noir’s secrecy in their relationship- he didn’t want to open any healed wounds. And carefully, Marinette said, “Really? You think she’d _never_ date him? Never? Not even after reading the new Chat Noir interview on the Ladyblog?”

 “That didn’t prove anything,” Chloé said with a roll of her eyes. “Everyone knows Chat Noir loves _her_ , but putain, who doesn’t? No, Ladybug is smart. She’s not going to date someone like Chat Noir. Ladybug is a serious, powerful woman. She needs to date someone else who is serious, who is famous, who is powerful, who is attractive, who doesn’t make _stupid_ jokes…”

 Adrien was now the one rolling his eyes and flippantly asked, “Like who, Chloé? Like you?”

 It was like he’d hit both girls with a firehose, how quickly they reacted in revolt. Chloé sputtered nonsense words, turning tomato red almost immediately. Marinette choked on her tea, coughing loudly and face just as red- possibly from choking as much as embarrassment. Marinette grabbed for her knees, waving her other hand to try and find support on Adrien’s leg. Jean offered her a towel to wipe off the sputtered tea.

 Chloé regained her composure only barely sooner than Marinette, though her face was still uncharacteristically red. “It was you who said it,” she mumbled. Chloé flicked her bangs and sat up a little taller. She added, “I _do_ think Ladybug is best suited to a woman. Don’t you think?”

 Marinette had just barely recovered from choking when her eyes went wide and her grip tightened on Adrien’s knee. “You think Ladybug likes girls?”

 “Of course she does. She’s strong, she’s charming, and she absolutely doesn’t need a man. The only reason anyone would ever _need_ to date a man would be to improve their own social, political, financial, or power standing. And Ladybug doesn’t need any of that. She is an absolute _force_.”

 Adrien creased his eyebrows in confusion. What on earth did Chloé mean? Did she really think just ‘falling in love’ wasn’t an option? But also… “Wait, you said Ladybug should date me! I’m a man!”

 Chloé laughed. It was a light laugh with just a hint of mockery; mostly pity. She leaned forward and tapped his cheek. “Oh, Adrichou. You don’t count.”

 “Yes, he does!” Marinette squeaked, sitting up defensively.

 Chloé scoffed, eyes going slowly from Marinette to Adrien and back. “Right. You reminded me why I gathered you two together anyway. Marinette needs publicity lessons. And it’s obvious, from the way you ran in here like there was a fire at the lake.”

 “A...what?” Marinette asked, blinking in confusion.

 Adrien leaned in, explaining, “She’s learning Swiss-French. Her new friend is from Geneva.”

 Chloé’s lips twitched involuntarily into a smile. “Yes, Chiara. _She_ knows how to act around paparazzi. Chiara’s Vatr is a famous chocolatier in Geneva. Do you want to see a picture?” Chloé didn’t wait for a response, opening her phone again and going right to the camera app. She found another picture of the two of them- this one had been taken by someone else, because it showed their full bodies. Chiara and Chloé were in front of a sparkling turquoise pool, both wearing bug-eyed sunglasses and tiny bikinis. Adrien marvelled at how _much_ they looked alike, even down to their matching pose. “See? You can just _feel_ how comfortable Chiara is around a camera.” Chloé flipped past three pictures (a fruity looking frozen drink, Chloé’s mother holding another of the same drink, Chloé with her mother and the same drink, and then Chiara again, holding her sunglasses next to her lips and staring at the camera in a pose Adrien had seen models pull hundreds of times. Chloé sighed dramatically. “Marinette, you could _never_ get to this level of perfection and poise. But we can try.”

 Adrien felt Marinette’s eyes and turned to meet her eye contact. _Let’s just listen_ , he asked in his mind. She sighed and then turned to Chloé. “What did you have in mind?”

 Chloé put her phone down. “First of all, that entrance today? Ça alors, Marinette. You need to consider what people think of you. A nobody suddenly dating Paris’s most popular teenage boy? They’re going to make assumptions.” Chloé snapped her fingers and Jean appeared with a notebook. Where did he get a notebook from?!

 Ignoring Adrien’s shock, she opened the notebook and started scrawling words. Not very nice ones at that… At the top of the list, she wrote ‘Salope, pute, arriviste, groupie, obsédé, fauché, Cendrillion’ and then read them out loud- loud enough that people around them stared at Chloé in distaste. “Slimy bitch, whore, social-climber, groupie, obsessed, dirt-poor, Cinderella.” Satisfied, she put her pen down. “There are more, I’m sure. But I’m going easy on you to start. 

 “Now, these are some of the things the public is going to think about you for taking away their golden boy. Your mission is to prove them wrong. According to your press conference, your story is that you two fell in love and are a sweet lycée romance, right? The young aspiring designer from an everyman’s home; you’re playing the ‘relatable love interest’ card, right?” She looked at Adrien, who cleared his throat and nodded. It all sounded so disjointed, so rudely formal and fake. Not at all respecting that they were just two kids who fell in love, no politics behind it. Chloé sounded just like his father. “Right. But what these girls aren’t _going_ to see that it’s relatable. Not at first. They’re going to see this-” she stabbed her list with the pen again. “A salope who has stolen _their_ chance at _being_ Marinette. Bref  [8], If you can prove to them that Marinette is relatable enough to make them invested in your relationship...but _not_ so relatable that they think you should have picked them instead...you’ll have your fans back. This starts by proving them wrong with their list.”

 Marinette picked up Chloé’s list and read it, swallowing visibly. Adrien rubbed her back, praying that she wasn’t taking these words to heart. It was a terrible list! And so he told her softly, “None of this is true, Princess. You aren’t any of these things!”

 “Yeah, that’s not how we prove them wrong. Show, don’t tell,” Chloé snorted. “Marinette, you need to watch your behavior. Let’s start with your entrance today. Showing up so fast when Adrien texted? Like you were hiding outside the hotel? That looks like a _groupie obsédé_ if I’ve ever seen it. You have your own life, don’t you? Actually, I’m not sure you do. Pretend you do. Give yourself hobbies and friends.”

 “I have hobbies and friends!” Marinette balked. “Chloé, you _know_ I do! I design clothes, I work with my parents...I have more friends than _you_ do!”

 “Sure, tell them that,” Chloé said with a wave as if she didn’t believe Marinette. “You shouldn’t be seen every single time Adrien is in the public eye. Let yourself be caught...I don’t know, designing your clothes or whatever. Spend more money on higher quality makeup and let yourself be photographed in your parents’ bakery. But make sure you look _good_. It has to be cute, not like you’re working to survive. That brings us to this point...fauché.” She looked up at Adrien, pleadingly. “Tell me your father is going to help her with this _pitiful_ wardrobe.”

 “Marinette’s clothes are beautiful!”

 “That wasn’t the question, Adrichou.”

 Marinette pouted, crossing her arms and falling into the couch. She knew the answer as well as he did...Nathalie had brought over ten pre-approved outfits before the press conference that morning. Adrien sighed and finally answered. “...Yes. He’s having her help promote our pret-a-porter line. But Father also said Marinette can wear her own designs! He said it’s going to show her skill as a designer and natural fit with our family!”

 Chloé had stopped listening closely after Adrien said ‘yes’. She waved her hand. “Yes, yes, alright. The point is, your clothes make you look dirt poor. It isn’t _endearing_ that you have to sew your own things, Marinette. It’s pitiful. You can’t look even more poor than Adrien’s fans. Wear the Gabriel clothing and use their fabrics if you insist on...showing off your designs. And make sure you’re seen rarely in your parents’ shop. Enough to be relatable...rare enough to not show them that you need the extra money.”

 Marinette sighed, loud and frustrated. But she didn’t argue against Chloé. She grabbed Adrien’s hand and held it tight. Her grip seemed to look for strength, so he leaned his entire body into hers, immediately receiving her cuddling back close and intimately. Her body was heavy with sadness. Marinette never sat back and just took what Chloé threw at her...it must have been torture in many ways.

 If Chloé noticed, she didn’t care. In fact, she probably relished it. She kept on, putting her pen against the first words on the list. “Now, this one. I have to be honest, I think you’re going to be fine on your own convincing them that you’re not a salope. First of all, Adrien looks at you like you’re something miraculous, and maybe even more importantly, you can see how big your crush on Adrien is from outer space. Nobody knows anything about you dating Luka, since he’s as much a nobody as you are, and I can’t imagine you flirting with someone else. Why would you sink below Adrichou? So we should be good on that part. And secondly, for whatever reason, people seem to like you.” Chloé blinked slowly, shaking her head in disbelief. “They like you more than me, at least. That’s good for you. If you can fool France the way you’ve fooled our class, they should like you.”

 Adrien smiled at that. He squeezed Marinette’s shoulders and kissed her hair. “Of _course_ they will! They’re going to love you! What isn’t to love, Marinette? You’re so amazing.”

 “Don’t get carried away, Adrien,” Chloé warned. She pointed to the second word on the list, _pute_. “Marinette may be friendly to everyone else in our class, but she’s still a bit of a _pute_ to me.”

 “I’m sorry, Chloé,” Marinette said. Her voice was small. Her eyes looked down at the ground, but then up to Chloé’s blue eyes. “I’m trying to be kinder to you.”

 “Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Chloé said with a huff. “I’m trying to be kinder to you too, and all that. That isn’t my point. The point is you _can_ be a real bitch.”

 “I think you mean she has a spine,” Adrien said defensively. He stroked her back as he said it. “Marinette can defend herself. We talked about this weeks ago, Chloé. When you were mad she was defending Rose and Juleka!”

 “She’s acted like that to me _without_ ‘defending herself’ before, Adrien,” Chloé spat. She turned quickly on Marinette, pointing a finger at her. “And don’t you dare say it’s just because I act like that with you. Adrien’s fans are going to be angry. They’re going to hate you. They’re going to wish you were dead, so they can _be_ you. They’re going to spit these words at you,” she shook the notebook at Marinette “in a lot of horrid combinations and with a lot more nasty words. Untrue things, too- and the more you fight back, the more they think they’re right. The harder they’ll push. The worse it will get. Trust me, I know. You _can’t_ snap back, Marinette.” Chloé’s voice had gotten louder and more emphatic as she spoke and she suddenly fell backwards into her seat, shoulders slumping. “Don’t ask me how to keep your cool. But _you_ have to.”

 Silence. All three teenagers realized what was going through Chloé’s mind and not one person wanted to bring it up.

 Chloé looked exhausted, like she didn’t want to keep talking about the words on her list. Weakly, she pointed to the third, _arriviste_. “This one is easy. You talked a lot in the press conference about how you’d like Adrien no matter what, whether he was rich or poor. Keep that up. Bring Adrien to _your_ world just as often as he brings you to his. You know...the bakery and your stupid designs. Your dorky parents. That sort of stuff. And make sure they catch you going on a lot of stupid, poor-people dates almost as frequently as you go on proper dates like Adrien _should_ have. The point is to make them believe that you’re not dating Adrien to get away from your life, so don’t abandon it completely. Honestly, being a social climber isn’t a bad thing,” Chloé claimed, “but the press likes to pretend it is. I think that about covers everything.”

 “Wait,” Adrien said, stopping Chloé from closing the notebook. “Why is Cinderella on the bad word list? Doesn’t everyone want to be Cinderella?”

 Chloé recoiled in horror. “Uch, I hope not. That story is terrible! The Prince obviously should have chosen a _real_ Princess.”

 Adrien squeezed Marinette’s hand and couldn’t stop his smile. “I think Marinette’s a real princess.”

 Chloé’s eyes twitched. She shut the notebook, shaking her head. “You two make me sick. Evidently, you’re going to be alright if you let him keep talking you up like that, Marinette. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. And make sure you practice my tips. Do you want the notebook?”

 Marinette shook her head and recoiled like it was poisonous to the touch. “No, I’ve got it burned into my memory. Don’t worry.”

 Chloé smiled. It was a wicked smile, but Adrien could tell it was actually one of her sincere ones. “Oh, alright. I’ll email you the notes. And I’ll check with Chiara- see if she has any suggestions. Let me take a picture of you two for her so she can see.”

 Even with the uncomfortable transition, Adrien was happy to take a picture with Marinette. He pulled her close, her body uncoiling into a photographable position uncomfortably. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly in her ear.

 “Let’s just take the picture,” Marinette answered. Adrien’s stomach dropped. But he gave as sweet a smile he could for Chloé’s camera.

 She held up the phone, the light flashed, and she immediately got to texting it to Chiara. “Got it. Adrien, she liked our selfie together, by the way. She said you were handsome. You should take that highly- Chiara has _very_ refined taste.” She put her phone down, looking at Marinette seriously. “If she doesn’t say that about you, don’t take it too hard. As I said, she has refined taste.” Immediately, the phone buzzed and Chloé snapped it back up to her eye level. Her shining eyes grew dull quickly, her smile fading into a stoic line. “Actually,” she growled, “she thinks you look very pretty, Marinette. Thinks you two are a cute couple.” Adrien didn’t have a chance to react before he noticed Chloé’s eyes track back to the screen and light up yet again. She held the phone close to her chest and bragged, “But she says you’re _not_ as pretty as me.” Chloé tipped her shoulder towards them in pride, beaming. “See? Refined taste.”

 Marinette shuffled on the couch as if to stand up. “Do you want us to leave you to text her? I think we, uh, need to get going.”

 Adrien heard Jean chuckle very faintly behind them. He met his bodyguard’s eyes and stood up, taking Marinette by the hand. “She’s right, we do need to go.”

 “That’s fine, Chiara will want to hear all about our little project, the three of us. She thinks it’s so nice, that I’m helping you two be safe in the spotlight. She calls it my service project.” Chloé squeaked in delight. She waved her phone at them, much too fast for them to actually see the picture, which was apparently a brand new selfie from Chiara. “See, she’s smiling!” Chloé immediately sprawled herself on the couch, fussing with her hair and ordering Jean around to help block unsightly light so she could take a selfie in reply.

 Marinette chuckled, pulling Adrien towards the door. “I don’t think she’ll mind that we’re leaving. Chloé? We’re going.”

 Chloé paused her directing to wiggle her fingers in goodbye. “Adieu! [9]” she cheered.

 Adrien furrowed his brow in surprise. _Adieu?_ “Chloé, we’ll see you tomorrow…”

 Chloé waved her hand impatiently. “Really, Adrien, you’re _such_ a frouz.” Okay. So that must have been more Swiss-French. Adrien sighed, not receiving an explanation as Chloé took a few test selfies. 

 “Okay, then. See you tomorrow,” Adrien said. Marinette seconded his goodbye and they stood to leave the hotel.

 Before they could, the low, rolling voice of Mayor André Bourgeois stopped them both. “Ah, Adrien! Adrien’s girlfriend! You’re here at last.” He walked towards them, arms open wide and smile almost as wide. Adrien looked to Marinette, sharing the same look of confusion. _Here at last?_ “I asked Chloé to invite you to see me for a moment, but she’s been so distracted since getting back from Morocco…” He looked over their heads and the teenagers also looked back. Chloé was trying a new pose, her shoulders pushed forward, pushing her chest together, her ponytail over one shoulder. Jean was holding her camera, taking pictures, and every few seconds she would change her pose, demand to see the picture, and try again. “I think her mother’s distracted her,” the Mayor said, worry in his voice.

 “You think her _mother’s_ distracting her like that?” Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 “Well, she won’t talk to me about it. And she’s started calling me ‘Vatr’, like some kind of German foreigner.” He shrugged, turning his attention back to the two children in front of him. “No matter, I wanted to talk to you about something very different. I’m just glad she finally focused enough to run that small errand for me...and now it is your turn! I need to talk to you both about Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

 Adrien’s stomach dropped. He felt Marinette grip his hand like a vice. “Wh-why us, Monsieur Bourgeois?” Adrien squeaked out.

 “Because you do that Ladyblog, don’t you?!” He asked, grinning wide. “Isn’t that you, Adrien’s girlfriend?”

 Marinette exhaled in obvious relief. “Oh. No, sir. That’s my best friend, Alya Césaire. Why did you need to talk about Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

 “Oh. Hmm.” The Mayor pouted. “I suppose I can trust you to pass on the message sooner than my sweet Chloé might. Here,” he handed Adrien a sealed envelope, “Ladybug et Chat Noir” scrawled on top. “This is an invitation for our national Armistice Day ceremony. We’d like to include special guests of honor Ladybug and Chat Noir. The president will be there! It’s the centennial, so it’s going to be a big, big celebration. All the information is in that envelope: your friend can put it on her website so Ladybug and Chat Noir will attend. And of course...that should encourage more young people to attend.” He chuckled, as if he’d made a joke. “Could you do that for me?”

 “Of course, Monsieur le Mayor,” Marinette replied. Adrien nodded in agreement.

 “Excellent. I trust your Toussaint holidays were pleasant? We all saw you on the news!”

 Adrien flinched. The news was exactly how Marinette and he got in this painful situation with Chloé. “They were wonderful, yes,” Adrien agreed. He politely returned, “And yours?”

 “Quiet...I missed my little Princess.” He looked over at his little princess who was now sitting, curled up on the couch, furiously texting with a big smile. “It’s so nice to have her kind spirit back in Paris.”

 Adrien thought of all the things her ‘kind spirit’ had said to and about Marinette. “Of...course, Monsieur. If you don’t mind, Marinette and I should go deliver this,” he said, waving the envelope.

 “Of course, of course. Au revoir, children!”

 Once outside, Marinette bent over and exhaled deeply. She stood up, eyes still closed, and shook her head. “That was a lot to process,” she mumbled. Kindly, Adrien put his hand on her back and rubbed, searching Marinette’s eyes. He hated this. He desperately wanted her to be public with him in every way. He hated how hard it was for Marinette. Finally, Marinette looked at him, a small smile on her lips. “Can you believe Chloé, though?”

 Adrien shook his head. “I know. I’m sorry, Marinette. Some of her advice was actually good, but she can really be-”

 “Not that, Adrien. That was...we can talk about that later. I mean Chloé and her friend!”

 “Chiara?”

 “Yeah!” Marinette laughed, taking Adrien’s hand to walk along the sidewalk. “Can you believe it? She teases _me_ about having a big, obvious crush. She’s been struck by lightning over Chiara.” Marinette kept walking when shock made Adrien stop. Her hand popped right out of his and she turned around, staring at him in confusion. 

 “She _what?!_ She has a crush on _Chiara_?”

 Marinette laughed. She returned to Adrien, putting his face in her soft hands. “Oh, mon cher. It’s a miracle you figured out my secret at all.” She tapped his jean pocket, adding, “Even _with_ your lucky charm.”

 “What’s that supposed to mean?” Adrien asked.

 “It means ‘I love you, even when you’re a bit lost’,” Marinette teased, leaning forward to capture his lips with hers. Adrien didn’t mind the teasing so much when it ended like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1Casséééé!! : Literally, "broken!", but translates more into "buuuuuuurn!". This is fairly new French slang that comes from a movie, actually!  
> 2gros bête : This word literally means "big beast/animal creature", or "big/fat dummy", and is also a loving term of endearment. (Go figure, right?) Sabine is referring to how Tom was a big "teddy bear" of a man, tall and wide of course, but also a little stumbling of an animal. But also lovable.  
> 3"There was mustard in your nose": Idiom for "You were super mad". If you got mustard in your nose, it would make your face all red. When people get angry enough to get a red face and a scrunchy nose...they've got "mustard in their nose"!  
> 4croquembouche: FRENCH WEDDING CAKE! It's a giant pyramid tower of cream-puffs and glazed with threads of caramel. Wow, it's a show-stopper and it is delicious. Very, very different than what we're used to. OH AND AT WEDDINGS, THE BRIDE AND GROOM CUT IT WITH A SWORD. (I may like croquembouche a little bit.)  
> 5frouz: Swiss-French for "French person", but meant as a bit of an insult. In French Switzerland (which is called "Romandy"), the Swiss speak French, with just a couple of words that are different, mean different things, or with a few other idioms. What Chloe's doing in this scene is a lot like an American who befriended a Brit, and then talking to all their friends with British slang and idioms. It's particularly cheesy because Geneva is SO French, the Swiss sometimes consider it more France than Switzerland.  
> 6Arrête: Stop. However, I didn't just translate this one because the French use both "Arrete" and "Stop". Their red octagonal stopsigns say "stop", not "arrete" (the signs say arrete in Quebec or some other Francophone places, by the way.). "Stop" is an interjection, whereas "arrete" is a verb. The way we used these in my family was that if you didn't stop with the first warning "arrete"s, you got a stronger, yelled, "stop!".  
> 7mon oeil: literally, "my eye". Translates to "as if", or "whatever", or "I don't believe you". Occasionally, this is accompanied by pulling down the skin below your eye to expose more of the eye itself. Think of this like the English expression "my foot!"  
> 8Bref: "In short". The French say this a lot more often than we say "in short". It's kind of like how we might say "Basically...", but a lot more formal-sounding (while actually being casual).  
> 9Adieu: This goodbye literally means "See you again when we meet before God", or basically, "Goodbye forever". It's also super formal. But in Swiss French, it's a casual goodbye (like au revoir, "see you again").


	12. The New Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hello and sorry for absolutely just taking my posting schedule and CHUCKING it. That was very rude of me to do. We're starting to catch up to what I've written so far, so I'm more...scared? to post? Because I don't like not having a buffer. It's a weird situation where everyone loses.
> 
> Anyway, I'm sure you care more about what's happening in our story. This chapter and next are partners that used to be one mega chapter, very much setting the stage for some serious plot relevance very soon...maybe you'll start to pick up on where it's going, if you haven't yet...
> 
> Also, this chapter really toes the T line at one point. It's definitely T, and it's just discussions, but it's, uh, very T discussions.

 By Monday, the press had known about Adrien and Marinette’s relationship for only two days. It was still fresh and even more than that, it was their first day bringing their lycée relationship actually _to_ lycée. And so the walk across the street that normally took Marinette only four minutes ended up being a ten minute ride through heavy traffic in Adrien’s towncar.

 Their close friends and classmates had known about the new unofficial relationship since Alya’s Halloween party if not earlier, but the same wasn’t true for Adrien’s many other fans in the school. Suddenly, Marinette was the center of a lot of attention that she didn’t particularly enjoy. When she had her boyfriend in hand, he could wave them off with a practiced smile and some clever comments. When she was alone, his fans got a little scary.

 Marinette could handle the press as Ladybug and did so frequently. But Ladybug got the public’s attention for actually _accomplishing_ things...these students just wanted a piece of Marinette for just her proximity to someone else. And the questions weren’t one at a time, from a respectable distance, like in the press conference. Oh no. These crowds pushed her into lockers, flashed cameras in her face, talked over one another, grabbed her shoulders and arms for selfies...it took everything in her not to let her Ladybug instincts out and punch these people in the face.

And so, even more than normal, Marinette was determined to stay with either Adrien, Alya, or Nino all day. Luckily, she had one or more of them in every class. When she’d brought it up to the three of them after a disastrous first hour, Marinette had claimed it was for her own safety. She hadn’t missed how Adrien scoffed, then grinned at her. He’d seen Ladybug knee an ‘admirer’ in the groin when he got a little too much in her face just weeks earlier...he knew this was more for the protection of the fans than for Marinette. 

Thanks to her friends and gripping her lucky charm all day, Marinette made it through the rest of the morning without major incident. Other students started to settle down about the news- or at least learned to avoid bringing their attention right to her face. And besides...having Adrien hold her hand in class, draw hearts on her notes, scratch her back, and send her loving glances all day...the fans could have been hellish and Marinette still would have thought her morning was amazing.

And then she hit her back-to-back classes without Adrien- their elective, and maths.

Marinette struggled to pay attention in maths on a normal day. She normally at least listened and tried to answer questions. Today, she had her face on her arm, and hadn’t spoken up once. In fact, she was doodling teeny tiny Chat Noirs in her notebook, completely ignoring the teacher and not even caring about it.

Alya, frankly, was an enabler. By the time she finally noticed what Marinette was doing (Marinette started the class doodling eyes; tiny Chat Noirs were much more interesting to Alya), Marinette had drawn five miniature boyfriends. With Monsieur LePont’s back turned, Alya leaned over and doodled a terribly-drawn Ladybug for each one and surrounded them in hearts. 

Marinette giggled, pushing Alya’s pencil away with her own. But she’d laughed just a little too loudly- Monsieur LePont spun around, pulling his tight lips together in an even tighter line, and glared at the two girls. With wide, apologetic eyes, Marinette looked back at her notes and tried to figure out where they were. They were...um...it was something about multiplying the factorial…

He looked away from his normally well-behaved student and back to the equation. “To solve our next part, we need to multiply four by all these factors. Four times twelve. Kim?”

Kim let out a loud “Euh,” as he calculated in his head. Finally, he said, “Forty-two? Oh, no, Forty-eight?”

“Very good, Kim. Thank you for correcting yourself.” Monsieur LePont wrote the answer on the next line on the board, then spun back around. “And the next factor...four multiplied by what, Chloé?”

Chloé sat completely alone at her table. She was surprisingly good at maths, good enough to not need Sabrina anymore (who was in the advanced class with Adrien anyway), but certainly didn’t enjoy it. She looked up and replied dryly, “Four multiplied by twenty-two.”

“Which is…?”

“Huitante-huit,” Chloé finished, just as bored. The class giggled, Marinette snapping to attention and looking at Chloé. A wide, slow grin spread across her face.

Monsieur LePont sighed. Then he said, “Not in your Paris school, it isn’t.  _ Quatre-vingt-huit _ .” [1]

“That’s so stupid. Swiss-French numbers are so much better!” Chloé fought back.

 “You’re not in Switzerland, Mademoiselle.”

As Chloé and their maths teacher argued, Marinette leaned in to Alya’s side, muttering, “Try telling her heart that.”

 Alya turned, intrigued. “What?” Oh, right. She hadn’t had a chance to tell Alya yet! 

 “I’ll tell you, one minute. I gotta tell Adrien what she said.” Marinette pulled her phone into her lap, eagerly pulling up a text with Adrien to tell him about his love-sick friend. She was almost about to hit send when she heard a loud, stern voice call her name.

 “Marinette. Your phone?”

 Marinette’s head snapped up. She started to flush red. “I’ll put it away- I’m sorry, Monsieur!”

 He shook his head, disappointed. “No, Mademoiselle. Give me your phone.” M. LePont walked over, hand out and disappointment all over his tight facial features. 

 Alix called out, “She’s probably texting Adrien! Her _boyfriend_!”

 Alya turned to look at Alix, crossing her arms. “So? Maybe she is!”

 Oh, she definitely was. And Marinette sighed long and sadly, surrendering her phone, knowing that she wasn’t going to be able to text him again for far too long. She could already taste the long wait, the hours alone without him, as M. LePont walked to the front of the room. Once he was facing the board again, she leaned in close, whispering to Alya, “Would you let me use your phone?”

 “No!” Alya hissed back.

 “I need to tell Adrien I lost mine!”

 “I figured. No! You’ll get mine taken away too!”

 Monsieur LePont turned around again chastising, “Mademoiselles, last warning.” Silent but otherwise undeterred, Marinette started to frantically scrawl on the corner of her notebook: _That’s rude. I’ve never lost my phone before!_

 Alya rolled her eyes before writing her own reply: _Exact why I don’t trust you girl. 1 day with a beau and you’re on LePont’s shitlist._ She slid the notebook back for Marinette.

  _Fine. Can you tell him for me?_

 With a quick tap, Marinette earned a three-letter reply from Alya: _D’ac_. [2] So Marinette continued, _And tell him what Chloé said? With the 88?_

It took Alya a moment longer to reply, as her left hand disappeared into her lap. Eyes trained on M. LePont, she majestically managed to text Adrien without raising a single eyebrow. Finally, she returned to writing on Marinette’s paper,  _ Only if you tell me why that’s so funny. _

Suffice to say, Marinette didn’t ever even finish transcribing the first equation of the day. 

\---   
  


“Chat Noir?”

 “Hmm?”

 Ladybug’s head rested on Chat’s lap, her eyes up at the stars through the iron beams of the Eiffel Tower. “Have we gotten lazier with our patrols?”

 Chat’s face dipped down, blocking Ladybug’s view. “What? My Lady, what do you mean?”

 She lifted a gloved hand to stroke his chin. “Shouldn’t we be out patrolling right now instead of...this?”

 “We already _did_ patrol,” Chat argued. “Besides, we have only ever patrolled once or twice a week. We just stay out later now,” he said with a shrug. “You’re not going to shorten Cuddle Time, are you?”

 “No,” Ladybug giggled. “You silly kitty. I just want to make sure we’re taking our job seriously. If we get lazy, we might slip up. Get into trouble. Cuddles need to be a bonus _from_ patrols. We can’t let our motivation turn into patrolling just to cuddle afterwards.”

 Chat slinked out from under Ladybug and curled up next to her instead. “Buginette, I have a secret about that. Most of the time, even before you opened your wings and let me be your pet,” he kissed her hand, “I was just patrolling so we could hang out afterwards.”

 Ladybug giggled, leaning forward to kiss Chat’s forehead. “Adrien, that isn’t a secret. You used that as leverage whenever I would try and leave right away after patrol. You told me that like...sixteen times.”

 Chat shrugged, his hands coming up to his sides. “What can I say? I _larva_ you. Besides...this is the only way to see my girlfriend after curfew.”

 “I have to admit, I feel better about sneaking around with my boyfriend when I can save a few lives too,” Ladybug told him with a wink. “Even if we have to stay hidden for Cuddle Time.” Instead of answering, Chat nuzzled Ladybug’s cheek and inhaled deeply. It made Marinette a little light-headed to feel him purr as he rubbed against her body. The way his body vibrated and the leather rubbed against her suit and her skin, his flashing green eyes and her super-sensitive touch... “Hidden and transformed,” she added, voice thick as Chat curled against her body tighter and tighter.

 But then he paused. “Wait. Why transformed? We don’t _have_ to say transformed, since we’re hidden.”

 As Chat pulled his body an inch away from Marinette’s, she felt a head-rush of reason. “Right, because it’s a great idea to let the public see two teenagers stuck in the middle of the Eiffel Tower late at night,” Marinette replied.

 “You would say it’s an even worse idea to let them see Chat Noir and Ladybug canoodling in the middle of the Eiffel Tower late at night!” Adrien shot back.

 Marinette blushed. He’d caught her there. Her heart was still pounding and body still aching to cuddle him again. “Maybe...maybe I just like staying transformed for post-patrol Cuddle Time.”

 Chat Noir’s signature smirk broke across his face, eyebrows taunt. “You _do_ , Cookie?”

 “Well, I-I-I...yes! It’s...it’s different in the suit! You feel different, and you purr, and you taste different-”

 “I _taste_ different, my lady?” Chat asked, scooting closer.

 “I have more refined taste as Ladybug. Everything tastes sweeter,” she answered, now thinking about his saliva and blushing deeper. “You have better sense of smell as Chat Noir, I have better sense of taste as Ladybug! It’s not a big deal.”

 “Why haven’t we talked about this before?” Chat asked, eyes wide. “Think of all the options! I should bring you fruit!” He gasped. “What about paté? Do you think paté tastes sweeter? Do you think you’d eat _flowers_?!”

 “Hey, fur-ball! We were talking about making out and now you’re ruining it by talking about making me eat flowers!” Ladybug said. Chat’s tail flicked and he blushed slightly. Ladybug continued, “You’re not allowed to change the subject that quickly. No coq-a-l'âne.”[3] Not when her body was keyed up to make out with her leathery boyfriend, at least.

 “Sorry, My Lady,” Chat apologized, scooting closer. “So you were saying I taste different, hmm? I...I have better instincts as Chat. No, no, don’t laugh! It’s related, I swear. It’s like I know what you’re going to do and where you want me to kiss you or touch you.” He put a hand on her thigh, kneading it mindlessly as Chat spoke. God, his hand against her thigh, kneading like that... Pressing through the fabric and sending chills up and down her body. Adrien’s voice was getting thicker, as well. “And I can smell you better, Marinette. I can smell your body better, and I can smell when…” his smirk reappeared, tiny pointy teeth poking out as his eyelids hooded. “I can smell when you want me.”

 “Uh-huh,” Marinette said in a shallow inhale of breath. “It’s not- It’s not _better_ , just…” she shuddered. Chat was now straddling her, lowering Marinette onto the iron beam, but hovering above her body. She could see his tail flicking above them. “Just different.”

 “A good different,” Chat nearly growled. He was purring loudly, _so_ loudly, and _merde_ did she want that loud purring vibration against her body. 

 “I like both,” Marinette whispered. “Kiss me, Chat Noir.”

 Chat lowered his body to rest on top of Marinette. She couldn’t hold back her audible groan at the weight, pressure, smell, and vibration. And then, at the sweet taste on his lips.

 \---

A familiar towncar pulled up in front of the Dupain-Cheng boulangerie. Marinette gasped in glee, rushing out to see her boyfriend. They’d completed their first full week of school together as a couple and she was invited to Friday dinner at Adrien’s house. For once, no eager photographers were on her corner, trying to catch the young couple. Maybe the novelty was finally waning.

 The moment Adrien’s driver opened the car door, Adrien bounded out of the car. He ran laughing to Marinette, so she stopped her pace there on the sidewalk and put her arms out wide. Adrien launched himself into her arms and his sweet laugh was soon ringing in her ears, legs bent as she held him in mid-air. Delightfully giggling herself, Marinette spun Adrien around, then set him on the ground for a quick kiss. Hand-in-hand, they walked back to Adrien’s car, grinning like idiots.

 Nathalie sat inside the back seat. To Marinette, it almost looked like amusement in her eyes. “Quelle réunion. [4]School ended only five hours ago, did it not?”

 Adrien nuzzled his head right into Marinette’s neck, tickling her into pealing laughter. “Aw, Nathalie. We’re just excited! Marinette never gets to eat dinner with me!”

 “Adrien, that isn’t true at all,” Nathalie responded, showing them both Adrien’s calendar. “This week alone, you’ve had dinner at her house three out of five days. The only day you didn’t have dinner together was yesterday. It’s gotten so frequent that the Kitchen is discussing sending your meals to Madame Cheng.”

 “No!” Adrien called out, sitting up quickly. “No, I mean, no thank you. Monsieur Dupain is a wonderful cook. I eat just fine there.”

 “I believe that is what the kitchen is worried about, Adrien,” Nathalie responded. She still sounded pleasant, clicking off her iPad and adding, “I like the idea of you actually enjoying your dinner conversations, just so long as you don’t upset the personal trainers with your diet.” Marinette held Adrien’s hand defensively. She wanted to defend her parents, but frankly, Sabine had been known to give Adrien second helpings more than once in the three times Adrien joined them for dinner that week. Before she could pivot the conversation away, however, Nathalie spoke again. “We can discuss your dinner schedule for next week this weekend, Adrien. It’s important to know where you are and how much food the kitchen should prepare. I’d like to put it on my personal calendar as well, of course.”

 “Of course?” Adrien repeated, surprise in his voice. “Why ‘of course’?”

 Nathalie looked back at her iPad, clicking it on and flipping to what was most likely her personal calendar- from what Marinette could see, it was full of even more tiny, color-coded boxes than Nathalie’s version of Adrien’s calendar. She wondered briefly how many of those weren’t actually work related. Did Nathalie even have distinctions between work and non-work life? “I like to know when I can look forward to company for dinner,” she replied simply. Then she looked back at Adrien and offered one of her rare, slight smiles. “Your father is often scheduled as ‘available for dinner’, but you and I both know what that means. In effect, dinner has been…lonely this week.”

 “It _has_?!” Adrien asked, looking over at Marinette in surprise. His face seemed to shout, _are you hearing this?_ before he looked back at Nathalie.

Nathalie was silent. She didn’t seem to know how to reply...emotions and confessions clearly weren’t her strong point. Finally, she said, “It will be a treat to eat with you  _ both _ tonight. I expect a more interesting conversation than that which Monsieur Gorille and I typically hold.”

 Marinette chanced a glance at their driver whose shoulders shook twice in what was probably a chuckle. She then looked at Adrien. He looked so happy that Marinette’s heart flipped. She couldn’t help but squeeze his arm, kissing his shoulder. “Maybe we will need to make sure we have dinner at your house more often! We can’t disappoint your...um…” was ‘family’ the word she was searching for?

 Nathalie saved her, however. She curtly added, “Do not make your schedule around us, Marinette. My job is to organize Adrien’s schedule, not add to its complexity.”

 The rest of the drive did not take long.

 Dinner with Nathalie and Adrien was light years away from dinner with her parents. They weren’t eating leftovers, to start. No- they’d been served boudin noir, orange juice, and salad. Everything was fresh and plated for them as the three sat spread out on a giant table, not crowded around a farm-style table in an apartment kitchen. And although Nathalie was being much more friendly than Marinette or Adrien saw as custom, it wasn’t a thing like the boisterous laughter, fussing, and teasing they received from Sabine and Tom. 

 Still, Adrien looked very pleased to be eating his sausage and salad. As he did with Tom and Sabine, he asked politely, “how was work today, Nathalie?”

 Nathalie regarded him with amusement before she swallowed and answered. Marinette knew she wasn’t used to that question over the dinner table. “Pleasant.”

 “What did you do?”

 “Today I organized paperwork for the winter exhibition and arranged sponsor meetings. Your father’s schedule needed some careful rearranging for next month...December is a busy time of year. I handled some emails with the press and public. And I spoke with Mlle. Bustier on the phone- that may be of interest to you two. “

 Marinette took the bait. “Mlle. Bustier? What did you two talk about?”

 “I had requested an update on your behavior in school with your new relationship,” she explained easily.

 Adrien leaned forward, waiting for details that never came. “And what did she say?” He finally prodded. 

 “She said your attention was limited at first, but you both seem to have remembered how to be students. She is not concerned it will be a lasting problem.” Nathalie took a small bite of tomato before adding, “Mademoiselle Bustier is very kind, isn’t she?”

 “Oh, she is,” Marinette gushed. “I’m so glad she’s still our home room teacher. I think she’s the only teacher that overlaps collège and lycée!”

 “Yes, Adrien is fond of her, too,” Nathalie agreed with a tight nod. Adrien beamed, completely unembarrassed. “We requested that she continue into lycée with him.”

 This shocked Marinette and Adrien, both leaning in. “You _did_?!” They asked in chorus. 

 Her faint smile danced on Nathalie’s lips again. “Yes, children. We insist on some normalcy to carry over between collège and lycée. Mademoiselle Bustier provides Adrien with an adult connection that he really needs…” she slowly looked over at Adrien, her smile dropping just slightly, “and I don’t trust the teachers at the lycée to provide him with the same affection. I was very adamant that she continue to provide Adrien with the adult connection and affection he needs to have a successful start to lycée.”

 “So...the reason she teaches both levels...is because of you?”

 Nathalie avoided looking at the teenagers, instead spearing another lettuce leaf. “M. Damocles and your lycée director made the final decision to offer the promotion, but we did sponsor the raise, yes. It’s...ah, the best we can afford to provide necessary affection.”

 Marinette also glanced at Adrien, at his wide green eyes and hands gripping the table. He seemed unable to speak. With Adrien in moved, stunned silence, the dining room was silent for a minute or two. Silent enough that when a new voice joined in, he clearly didn’t know there were teenagers present. 

 They heard the solid, low voice of Gabriel long before anyone saw him. “Nathalie, I need you to comb through all saved interviews of Ladybug-”

 “M. Agreste,” Nathalie spoke up quickly, nervously, interrupting her boss.

 Now marching purposefully in the dining room but eyes completely trained on his own phone, he continued, as if she hadn’t spoken. “I’ve found something suspicious and want to make a comparison to-”

 “M. Agreste!” she spoke, a little more pronounced.

 “Please do not interrupt, you will miss my instruction,” Gabriel growled. He was walking towards the table now, still not looking up. Marinette froze as she watched Gabriel approach her own seat...of course, the fourth seat was _his_. “I’ll send you the video for comparison purposes. I noticed something suspicious in a recent street interview with-”

 “Gabriel!”

 Gabriel tried to pull the seat out, shocked that it didn’t budge, and looked down at the young lady in his chair. “Marinette!” he gasped.

 Marinette’s terror-filled eyes met Gabriel’s. They had rarely met in person, at least not in situations that made her look very good, and here was another one. Sitting in his chair, while he was talking about something Ladybug related, gaping at her like a bomb. “Monsieur Agreste! I-I-I-I’m sorry I’m chair your place. Let me move!”

 “Ma...demoiselle Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel responded with a fast blink. When Marinette stared into his eyes, it was as if he was trying to figure something out...look into _her_ eyes for some kind of answer. Her mind flicked to his mention of Ladybug...was he…

 “Father, are you dining with us?!” Adrien nearly shouted. Both Marinette and Gabriel turned to Adrien and saw his impossibly wide smile. For a moment, Marinette forgot her suspicions and smiled herself. First, Nathalie admitted affection, one way or another, for Adrien. And now his father was in the same room. Adrien must be over the moon.

 Gabriel cleared his throat and stood to his full stature. “I had a moment to eat with...you all...yes.” He glanced at Nathalie. “This was scheduled?” he asked, quietly.

 “Yes, Monsieur. Marinette has been scheduled to join Adrien here for dinner since Tuesday.”

 “He’s been out so frequently…” Gabriel almost sounded embarrassed, if only for a moment. Immediately, his voice was hard and professional again. “If this had been pre-arranged, where is the fifth chair?”

 “Right away, monsieur,” Nathalie answered. She stood up and hurried to a nearby closet. Silence pervaded the room again as Gabriel reclaimed his position of authority. Adrien was grinning into his salad. By the time Nathalie had pulled out a fifth chair, a member of kitchen staff had brought out a fifth plate of boudin noir and salad, accompanied by a large glass of orange juice and a small glass of wine.

 “I will email you the details from that assignment,” Monsieur Agreste told Nathalie, curtly. She nodded and he picked up his fork.

 More silence. Adrien looked up from his salad and spoke in a quiet voice, “How was your day, Father?”

 “It was busy, and I still have much to do. Don’t speak while I’m trying to eat, Adrien. It is inefficient.”

 Marinette couldn’t have been more uncomfortable if she had been sharing the meal with Le Papillon. She noticed Adrien’s smile falter and his eyes drop to his plate. But he still looked pleased to have Gabriel there. The next five minutes passed in silence: Nathalie retreated to her iPad, Gabriel ate with focus, and Marinette moved the last of her salad leafs around her plate. Adrien was watching everyone, just drinking in that his dining table was actually full.

 After five minutes, Gabriel pushed his chair away from the table, placing his silverware on the empty plate. “J’ai bien mangé,”[5] he stated. “Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, you will be escorted home no later than quarter to ten. After all…” he narrowed his eyes carefully, but not angrily. Just like he was analyzing her again. Nervously, Marinette wrung her hands. “We can’t have you alone on the street at night. That would be decidedly...unlucky. Goodnight, Mademoiselle. Goodnight, Adrien. Nathalie? Follow.”

 Nathalie abandoned her nearly-empty plate and followed Gabriel as his shadow to his office. They left Adrien and Marinette alone at the table, still silent.

 “We had our first dinner with my dad!” Adrien cheered, leaning against the table towards his girlfriend.

 “Did you hear what he was saying before dinner?” 

 Adrien’s smile froze, trying to remember. He shook his head. “What?”

 “Something about Ladybug. He wanted to compare street interviews with someone against videos of her. Do you think he meant…”

 “No, I’m sure he didn’t,” Adrien assured her. “Hey, Father said we have until 9:45. That’s still over an hour. Let’s go upstairs!”

 He stood up from his place, hurrying over to hers with a big smile. “And can you believe what Nathalie said about school?!”

 “Adrien, shouldn’t we be worried about what your Father said…?” Marinette asked, her voice a low whisper even as she took her excitable boyfriend’s hand.

 “Father says weird stuff all the time. We only ever hear a fraction of it- never any context. I’m sure it’s nothing. Let’s go upstairs!” Adrien grinned and pulled her closer to his room. Marinette wasn’t convinced, and he evidently could see that, the way his face fell slightly. “Let’s make a deal. We ask Tikki and Plagg what they think when we get up there. If they’re _both_ worried, we can ask Father what he meant. But I know my father...I mean, I kind of do. I don’t think it’s anything. I’m just glad he ate with us!”

 Maybe he was right. Maybe Marinette was making assumptions. One thing was for sure- she was putting Ladybug ahead of her boyfriend right now. He had probably just had one of the highlights of his week, possibly even better than making out with her during their lunch break the day before. She sighed. “Deal. We’ll ask...and I’m glad, too.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I was in his seat!”

 Adrien laughed and led Marinette up the stairs, into his room full of all things teenager. “Nathalie arranged the seating and she looked as surprised as you! He almost _sat_ on you!”

 Marinette put a hand on her face, groaning, “he must think I’m null.[6]”

“I’m sure he doesn’t. Father is too smart to think something like that,” Adrien assured her, pulling Marinette in for a peck on the lips. “Maybe next time he’ll actually  _ talk _ during dinner!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 "Huitante-huit"..."Quatre-vingt-huit": Both mean eighty-eight (88). And I'm going to agree with Chloe on this one... In France, their number system (counting by 10's) goes, if literally translated, "ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, sixty-ten (60+10), four-twenties, (4x20), four-twenty-ten (4x20+10), hundred." The Swiss were like "screw that" and their numbers literally translate to "ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, hundred". Once you know the French numbers by heart, they don't bother you that much. But that doesn't mean it's not ridiculous in every way and couldn't be easily avoided.  
> 2 "D'ac": Short for "D'accord", which means "Okay". Could she have written "okay"? YES. because the French say "okay", too. but "d'ac" is very fun and my fave.  
> 3"coq-a-l'âne": This is an idiom that means to change the subject quickly; a non-sequitur. Literally, it means "rooster-to-donkey" (or in a different literal sense, cock-to-ass. heheheheh.).  
> 4 "Quelle réunion": What a reunion. "Quelle" is often used for "what a ___"  
> 5 "J'ai bien mangé": Literally, "I ate well". At the end of a good meal, instead of saying they are "full", the French announce that they "ate well". It often gets used in the same sense, that you ate so much yummy food you just CAN'T have any more, but it speaks more to the gourmet culture of France, where eating well is more important than eating until you can't any more. And more importantly, it speaks to the efficiency of Gabriel.  
> 6 "null": Literally, "nothing". Often meant to say stupid, worthless, dumb...'worthless' is the most on-the-nose.


	13. The Newer Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned, I sliced a chapter into two, which creates last chapter and this one. You can tell because they're both in Marinette's point of view. Also, because this chapter feels very, very short. So, let's get on and continue with where we left off...!

Ladybug stood with her spine straight, standing next to her partner and between many of Paris’s most decorated gendarmes. She tried to look both stoic and interested as one of many speakers stood in front of the Eternal Flame and spoke of World War I and all the many wars that followed. Her hand itched to hold Chat’s, so she held her own instead.

Cameras flashed every now and again. This year’s Armistice Day ceremony was indeed one of the busiest Paris had ever seen. Not only was it the centennial, 100 years from the first Armistice Day, but the guest list was impressive. In fact, Ladybug noticed many Parisians and tourists weren’t even craning their necks to see her and Chat. There were presidents, rulers, magistrates, and all sorts of leaders. 

That didn’t mean the speeches were interesting.

In fact, the most interesting speech came hours later, when she and Chat Noir had finished their platitudes to the guests and visitors and slipped to the roof adjacent to the Arc de Triomphe. Ladybug was still cautious, worried about the massive crowds both on the ground and on top of the Arc de Triomphe. Even four stories above the crowd, they couldn’t look romantic in broad daylight. Couldn’t even risk being overheard by neighbors one story below. But oh, how she longed to curl up against Adrien, rub her face on his leather shoulder, listen to Chat Noir purr. And so she continued to hold her own hand, imagining it was his. “This is where I started to figure you out,” she said. “When you were stuck under the Arc de Trimophe.”

“Puissaimant,” Chat said, remembering. “You saw me holding my lucky charm.”

Ladybug smiled fondly at the memory. It hadn’t been pleasant then- she had been terrified for both their lives. But now… “It was so dumb of you, minou.”

Chat turned to her and grinned, wiggling his shoulders. “But it worked out fur the best, didn’t it?”

She shoved him lightly in a silent response. Her eyes spoke everything Ladybug didn’t dare say out loud.

“Hey, I figured something out today, too. Maybe the Arc de Triomphe is our new epiphany spot!”

“Oh? What did you figure out?” Ladybug asked. Chat sat up in pride. Elongating the dramatic silence, he lifted an arm with a limp wrist, watching Ladybug as he slowly licked the leather arm to ‘clean’ it. He did so twice before Marinette broke, groaning and rolling her eyes. “ _ Chaton _ , just tell me!”

“You’re so im-paw-tient, My Lady! I figured out Master Fu’s proverb.  Yù bàng xiāng zhēng, yú rén dé lì. ‘When a snipe and clam quarrel, the fisherman benefits.’.”

Ladybug raised her eyebrows. “Chat! He assigned that to you ten days ago!”

He quickly puffed up his cheeks and let out a bof of air with a slight shrug. “I forgot! He assigned it back when we were fighting and now we’re all better! But believe it or not, I actually figured it out from the President’s speech. You want to hear?” When Ladybug nodded, Chat moved into a stretching pose, stretching his back legs, then sliding to stretch his arms, face very close to Marinette’s. His eyes were glittering and taunting. “It means when two people fight, the enemy benefits. Le President talked a lot about how war has no winners, and I got to thinking, ‘what about people who aren’t in the war?’ And then…” he pounced into a sitting position, tipping his head to the side, “I realized, that’s like us, isn’t it? You and I are partners and our enemy is Le Papillon. If  _ we _ fight…”

Ladybug raised a finger, finishing his thought. “Le Papillon wouldn’t have anyone working cohesively against him.”

“Right! So basically, we can’t ever fight again, My Lady.” He put his gloves on her shoulder, looking at Ladybug with an overdramatic drawn face. “The very fate of Paris depends on us having a healthy relationship.”

She tried to look just as serious as she replied, “I think you’re right, Chaton. We should never, ever fight again.” 

Chat nodded seriously. Then his expression softened and his perked ears dipped to the sides just slightly. “In the spirit of not fighting...I just want to let you know I’m really trying with those, um,  _ privacy terms _ we discussed a few weeks ago. It’s hard, My Lady. You know you’re my catnip!”

“It is hard,” Ladybug agreed softly. Her eyes darted to his hand and saw how it flexed. He wanted to hold hers, too. “Maybe it won’t be too much longer.”

“Really?” 

“I...I can’t make any real promises. But we should maybe talk about it.” She bit her lip, nervously. Chat was purring and swaying back and forth happily. Ladybug laughed. “Let’s talk about it later. Talk, not fight. After all, you know how important it is to Paris that we don’t fight ever again.”

As Chat opened his mouth to quip something back, an explosion shook them both, right at the foot of the Arc de Trimophe. In the middle of the small fire stood a cackling woman with bright orange skin.  _ Akuma _ . Ladybug stood up immediately. “Unless it’s fighting these goons.”

\---

 

At the horn of a boat, Marinette’s eyes pulled up from her sketchbook. She waved to the tourists, bundled up against the cold late November air, as their water-taxi slipped through the cold waters of the Seine. A few tourist children waved back at her, making Marinette smile.

She flipped to a new page in her sketchbook and started drawing a toddler’s pea-coat. Tikki peeked out from inside Marinette’s own autumn coat and gazed down at the drawing. “That’s very good, Marinette! Is that also a gift?”

“I’m hoping to make a baby gift for Ivan’s new little sister...but I don’t know what to do. I haven’t made baby clothes before.”

“Yes, baby clothes are a lot more complicated than just shrinking adult clothes, aren’t they?”

Marinette nodded, looking back up at the water. “You have to consider diapers, mobility, they have to be able to play in them...it has to be easy for parents to put on and take off. And babies grow so quickly...It’s tricky! It’s a good thing she isn’t due until December.” Marinette tried another design next to the peacoat- a small, puffy winter coat for a baby. And next to that, a onesie. She glanced at her phone, trying not to worry about the time. They were running late. Where was he? Her mind on Adrien, Marinette hardly noticed she’d started doodling a design on the onesie- a little ladybug with paw-print spots.  _ That’s a keeper.  _ She smiled at it and started to refine the design, cleaning up the lines and trying a few different spot placements.

The noise of Paris was to Marinette’s back as she sat on the river’s edge- not many people walked along the cold river this time of year. One noise broke out above the rest, shouting her name. Tikki squeaked, zipping into Marinette’s coat. Marinette herself turned to look up at the sidewalk above her. Her heart squeezed as her smile spread. “Tikki, it’s okay. It’s Adrien!” She waved eagerly to her boyfriend, who shared her grin and waved back. 

Adrien hurried down the nearby stairs and practically ran to Marinette’s bench. He leaned down and put his gloved hands on her shoulders, kissing Marinette firmly on the lips. “Brr! It’s colder down here!” He tightened his light-blue scarf around his neck. Just seeing that scarf made Marinette smile. “I’m so sorry you had to wait in the cold, My Lady! Tikki, aren’t you cold?”

Tikki blinked and shook her head. “Kwamis don’t register temperature quite as extremely as humans do. It’s chilly, but certainly not uncomfortable.”

Marinette heard a groan and saw a tiny black head poke out of Adrien’s smart peacoat. “Tikki, don’t tell him that! I’ve been using the cold as an excuse to stay in here all month!” Plagg hummed pleasantly. “It’s so soft inside Adrien’s coat.”

Adrien laughed. His eyes were sparkling, looking at Marinette- too focused on her to care much about Plagg’s comments. With a hand out, he lifted Marinette from the bench. “Sorry again to make you wait, mon amour. Not a great start to our second month,” he said, scratching the back of his neck.

Marinette leaned forward to peck Adrien’s cheek. “Oh, you’re being hard on yourself, minou. I like sitting by the river. And I think we’re going to have a great second month, if yesterday was any indication.” She winked and kissed Adrien yet again...it was like she just couldn’t help it. Adrien grinned- as he did so, the breeze picked up and tousled his hair. Together, to look was even more visual reminder of their one month anniversary: an after-school date, interrupted by an akuma attack, and completed with a romantic stroll along the Notre Dame’s roof and feverish kisses. Marinette felt a blush rising on her cheeks at her memory and thinking of the taste of Adrien’s mouth. She looked back at the river, tugging Adrien’s hand. “We should get going. I don’t want to be late for band practice!”

Adrien picked up Marinette’s bag of pastries and the two walked arm-in-arm, close to each other for warmth. Tikki flew into Marinette’s coat, not wanting to take any chances with strangers. As they walked, he told her all about how his piano lesson had run late, even after arriving there as soon as school let out. Adrien hadn’t had a proper lunch after school, but his teacher was not happy that Adrien was evidently slipping in his practicing. Neither he nor Marinette seemed bothered by that, sharing mischievous grins. “After the lesson finally got out, Father wanted to chat before I left.”

“Oh? About what?”

“About you,” Adrien said, squeezing Marinette’s arm. “He had a bunch of really random questions.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. Hadn’t he asked enough ‘random questions’ with that girlfriend application? “Like what?”

“He asked if you’re athletic and graceful. I told him you’re wonderful to dance with, but that apparently wasn’t what he meant.”

“So what did you say?”

“I told the truth,” Adrien said with a shrug.

Marinette’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “You told him that I can backflip off of buildings?”

Adrien laughed. “Okay, I told the truth about  _ Marinette _ , but not all of you.” He scratched the back of his neck, rubbing his scarf and passing her a nervous look. “I said you’re clumsy.”

“Well, l think that’s okay. It’s true!” As if on cue, Marinette nearly tripped on a cobblestone, but Adrien had her arm and swung her to balance. “See?”

“All the more reasons to catch you in my arms, my Lady,” Adrien purred. It made Marinette giggle and push him lightly, then they fell back in step together. “He also asked what extracurriculars you have. You mostly just work at home with sewing and your parents, which he knew,” Adrien shrugged, “but I guess maybe he thought you were doing something at school? Uh, he also asked if you always kept your hair in pigtails. If they were...um, he said ‘important to you’.”

Marinette furrowed her brow. Important to her? How? “What did you say to  _ that _ ?”

Adrien laughed. “I didn’t know  _ what _ to say! I said that you wore your hair down on our first date, that you find pigtails more convenient than having it down normally...and that we don’t really talk about your hair a lot.”

Marinette laughed. “Weird.” She shook her head. “I guess I really don’t get your dad.”

Tikki poked her head out of the jacket to add her own grain of salt. “Maybe he’s not used to friendly conversation and that was his attempt at small talk!”

Adrien pointed at Tikki, eyebrows high. “Maybe you’re right! He definitely needs practice!” He and Marinette laughed. When a bicyclist zoomed past, Tikki hid herself once again. The Liberty came into view and Marinette tensed up. Apparently, Adrien could tell, as he looked at her with a sympathetic smile. “Hey, Cookie. You’re going to like our new song.”

Marinette took another long glance at The Liberty, then looked back to Adrien as they kept walking. “I will? What is it?”

Adrien grinned mischievously. Swinging her side-to-side as they walked, he started to sing the familiar nursery rhyme, “ _ Coccinelle, demoiselle, bête à bon dieu- _ ”

 “Adrien!” Marinette laughed, shoving him towards the river. 

 Adrien shouted in protest, rushing back and wrapping his arms around Marinette to trap her. “ _Coccinelle, demoiselle, envole toi jusqu’au cieux!_ ”[1]

 “Oooh, I will fly up to heaven if you keep singing that!” Marinette fought, swatting his arms and trying to wriggle free. Adrien took a deep breath, singing even louder as Marinette laughed over him. _Time to fight fire with fire_. “J'suis une p'tite bête qui monte…” Marinette warned. 

 Adrien’s eyes snapped wide. He noticed Marinette’s hands were on his ribs, scrawling their way up his sides. “My Lady, no!”

 “Qui monte, qui monte, qui monte” using Adrien’s laugh to her advantage, Marinette had inched her fingers into his armpits, chanting faster and faster, and squealed, “Guili guili guili!” tickling his armpits.[2]

 Shrieking with laughter, Adrien let Marinette go and took off at a run. His girlfriend eventually caught up, jumping onto Adrien’s back. He caught her, of course, wrapping his arms around her legs. “See, I knew you’d love the new song!” he told her, confidently.

 “You’re a pest, Adrien Agreste.”

 “Not so. T’is you, the bug, and therefore the pest!”

 “Do you really have a new song?”

 “Yep. Luka composed it, Ivan wrote the lyrics. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with my favorite demoiselle.”

 “I don’t think that’s a problem,” Marinette said. “You probably could write them a song too, but it might be too sappy for Kitty Section.” She placed a kiss on the top of Adrien’s ear, red from the cold. It just grew redder with a blush.

 Finally, they reached the boardwalk of The Liberty. Marinette’s legs froze and a visible puff of nervous air left her mouth. Adrien wordlessly set her down and took a step next to him. Marinette hadn’t stepped on board this boat for a month and a half. It rocked gently in the water, and though the laughter and tuning instruments on board sounded welcoming, the boat loomed with regrets.

 She felt Adrien’s warm breath in her ear as he spoke quietly: “You’ve got this. You’re Marinette Dupain-Cheng— you can do hard things. And you’ve got Chat Noir behind you.” Marinette swallowed and nodded. Adrien reached into his pocket and dangled his Marinette Lucky Charm for her to see. “You got yours?”

 Marinette fished into her purse and pulled out her Adrien Lucky Charm, its tiny bell dinging just so. “Always.”

 Adrien grinned and put his back. “Then you’ll be _extra_ fine. Besides, you’re bringing le goûter. [3] Everyone loves the lady with the pastries!”

 Marinette giggled and nodded. They climbed up the wooden plank together. Rose was the first to spot them both, alerting the rest of the band with a delighted squeal. She ran to Adrien and Marinette with excited bisous. Marinette tuned her squeaky voice out for a moment as she tried to read expressions. Juleka looked as happy as she could. Mylène was waving (probably delighted to not be the only groupie again), Ivan was smiling...but there they were. Anarka had a tight, small polite smile on her face. And Luka was hard to read. His mouth looked happy to see them both, but his eyes...were they sad? Hurt? Uncaring?

 Adrien and Marinette politely said Bonjour to everyone on board. Marinette moved to take her pastries to the table, eyes tentatively watching her ex-boyfriend. Luka was walking towards with his smile plastered in place. When he reached them both, he put a hand out for a handshake. His smile for Adrien was genuine and kind. “Adrien, happy Wednesday. Ready for another good practice?”

 “Ready to rock, Luka,” Adrien agreed with his own smile, smacking Luka’s hand a few times in a practiced simple handshake.

 Luka’s cool blue eyes met Marinette’s and his smile changed. It looked like the warm, sad smile he had the entire last three weeks of their relationship. She hadn’t seen that smile since that fateful first Saturday in October; he had never sought her out in school since the breakup. “Marinette. Good to see you again. We missed you and your energy here on The Liberty.”

 “I mi-mi-mi-missed you all, too.”

 Luka took a step back, looking between Adrien and Marinette. “This has been a good month for you two. Adrien has been a very good musician lately- Marinette, you can tell that you’ve shared the music inside of you with him.” Marinette didn’t know how to respond. She could feel her heart pounding at his familiar poetry, nerves calmed only a little when Adrien took her hand again. Luka put a hand over his own chest. “Your music touched me too, Marinette. I’m glad for what we had. It made me a better musician, too. But we...” he moved his hand between the two friends. Luka swung his guitar from his back to his front, hands ghosting over the strings as he furrowed his brow. Eyebrows knit together, Luka said, “You and I, Marinette, we sounded like this:”

 Luka strung a few notes- a dissonant chord, the notes just barely off of whatever key they should have been, the melody sweet, the harmony mysterious, but not quite fitting together. It was...pretty. But just not quite there. He looked back up, the melody notes continuing on their own without the backing chord. It played in the background as he said, “But you and Adrien...you sound like this:” the melody continued, but at a strike of a strong, matching chord, the melody seemed to find its footing. A harmony wove itself around the melody and their notes fit together in a lovely major key. He let it peter out, and smiled down at his guitar. “Still have room to grow. But it’s a better fit, I think.”

 Marinette’s throat was tight and her eyes stung- whether from emotion or the cold, it wasn’t clear. But One thing was- Luka was okay. He wasn’t mad. He supported them. He saw their harmony. “That’s beautiful, Luka.”

 Without another word about it, Luka nodded. His soft, sad smile had a hint of satisfaction to it, and then he turned back to Adrien. Marinette followed Luka’s eyes and saw her own boyfriend struggling to keep his composure. It made Luka laugh softly, hand over his mouth. “Adrien, it’s okay. We men need to feel emotions more.”

 “I don’t have any problem feeling emotions,” Adrien promised with a cough. Marinette almost laughed...she had to agree. “I just...have a lot of them right now. Thank you, Luka.”

 Instead of answering, Luka played his harmony from the Luka and Marinette song, the harmony sounding strong and beautiful on its own. Then, he swung his guitar onto his back again. “We should go warm up, Adrien. Have you told Marinette about our new song?”

 Marinette spoke up herself. “The one you composed? And Ivan wrote the lyrics?”

 Luka grinned. “ _Parasol_ , yes. I hope you like it.”

 Adrien gently kissed the side of Marinette’s head. “You’ll love it.” He let go of his girlfriend’s hand and looked at his bandmate. “Let’s go!”

 

\---------

 Chat Noir pulled Ladybug’s hand to keep her behind the barricade, out of the range of the flying rock. They inched closer to the wrought-iron gate, peeking through to look at the scene before them. “Ugh, she’s a nasty one, Cauchemarquant.[4] Even if she doesn’t get you, her victims are really scary!”

 “Some of them,” Marinette agreed, looking around nervously. Cars were strewn, parked randomly around the street, screams from nearby windows as well as around them on all sides. “People have fight-or-flight reactions to terror. So some of these people…” she looked over to the side and Chat Noir’s eyes followed. A businesswoman was curled in the fetal position, crying like a baby. “Aren’t threats. We need to save them as fast as possible. They might not be dangerous, but they’re suffering.” She looked back at Chat, putting a firm hand on his forearm. “Remember- don’t let her come in contact with your skin. She’ll make you live out your notable nightmares.”

 Chat groaned. “Why couldn’t she be ‘Cauchemarrant’[5] instead? We could all deal with our _funniest_ nightmares a lot better, I bet.”

 Ladybug smiled briefly. “Let’s just get this over with and put her right. I’ve got my lucky charm.” she shook the ski mask. “The akuma’s in the pill bottle. I’ll dodge her dreamers, get the bottle away from her and to you, then you break it.” She leaned into a squat to stand up, also pressing her face close to Chat’s ear. She whispered, “Do it quickly, so you don’t have to deal with a CauchMarinette.”[6] She immediately propelled herself up, but spun on her heel, running backwards to watch her boyfriend react.

 And it was worth it. “My Lady! That was really, really good! I’m so proud...This is going in our ‘Best Of’ reel!”

 “Your confidence is rubbing off on me, chaton!” She turned back forwards, leaving with the last word. Ladybug couldn’t stop herself from smiling. This was going to be a breeze. Yes, this psychological akuma was terrifying, but she and Chat had only become a better team in the month and a half they’d been dating. Their record was now 2 minutes to cleanse an akuma, they were getting hurt less, they were helping victims more effectively...and she definitely was going to get to make out with her partner after this. Nothing was as good of an aphrodisiac for Marinette than adrenaline, and nothing was more of an aphrodisiac for Adrien than a finished battle.

 Ladybug took off at a run alongside the wall of the medieval tower, dodging victims left and right. Some were curled up crying, others staring forward, shell-shocked in terror. Some lashed out at her, but she dodged them easily. She could hear flashes of their nightmare tortures as she ran:

 “No! Don’t leave me, mommy! Mommy, no-”

 “-Stop, stop touching me, stop!”

 “Babbo Natale, per favore non farlo-”

 “Aiiiiiiii!”

 “....It’s just a clown...just a funny clown...just a clown...just a clown…”

 “Mais non, mais non, j’arrive, papa! Papa, j’arrive!”

 “...but I don’t want to!”

 “HELP ME!”

 “Ça ferme! Ça ferme! Saint Jeanne sauvez-moi!!”

 “....Guillame, come back! I’m sorry, please!!”

 “Yo te quiero, por favor! Yo te-”

 “Stop it, get away, please!!”[7] 

 Ladybug shuddered as she ran. Everything in her wanted to help them as individuals. “I’ll help you all,” she shouted to the unhearing, screaming masses. “I’ll help you!” Her eyes targeted on the bright yellow woman in the shade of Tour Jean-sans-Peur, her face and chest hot pink. Ladybug narrowed her eyes at the gaudy Cauchemarquant, popping another pill before reaching out to touch the arm of another innocent victim. Neutralize her. That was how Ladybug would help them all.

 Ladybug lowered her head and stuffed it into her Lucky Charm ski mask. The mask covered everything that wasn’t touching her mask already, protecting every inch of Marinette’s skin...as well as her earrings. She should be absolutely free from the dangerous touch of Cauchemarquant. And when Ladybug got closer, the akumatized woman began to grin. She opened her arms wide, calling out, “Ladybug! Come give Cauchemarquant a hug! Let me touch your pretty face!”

 “Don’t even think about it,” Ladybug snarled. She launched her yo-yo at Cauchemarquant, wrapping her tightly. With a single strong yank, ladybug pulled Cauchemarquant up to her, eyes blazing with intent. Clean this up, heal the Parisians, get back to Chat. 

 “You think you’ve got me, don’t you?” Cauchemarquant growled. Her hand holding the pill bottle was wrapped right against her body, delaying Ladybug’s victory. 

 “It’s certainly not just a dream!” Chat called out. Ladybug didn’t turn, but smiled. He had her back, crouched nearby to catch that pill bottle and trigger his cataclysm. “It’s your nightmare!”

 Cauchemarquant chuckled. “Mine or yours, Ladybug? Why, you’re so close to me, I can practically see your fears in your eyes. Why not tell the good Psychiatrist what haunts your nights?”

 “I don’t need therapy from you,” Ladybug replied. She bent down, one solid figure of red and black spots, and began to fiddle with her yo-yo string, trying to unleash the pill bottle. A familiar neon pink light flashed above her, drawing Ladybug’s eyes for just a moment. The mask of Le Papillon encircled Cauchemarquant’s face, freezing her entirely while he spoke to his villain. _Good, more quiet to work._

 “Yes, Master,” she replied coldly. _I’d better work quick. I’m sure she’ll try to take off my ski mask and earrings when her hand is loose,_ Ladybug thought. She pushed the string away roughly, yellow fingers finally coming free. “You’ve almost got it now. Quite good with your fingers and string, aren’t you?”

 What a weird comment. Ladybug looked up briefly, and although she know the akuma couldn’t see the confusion on her face, Ladybug hoped to see answers on Cauchemarquant’s. The akumatized woman just smirked back. So Ladybug returned to her work, finally getting the bottle free and rolling it to grip it tighter in her fist. “Yes!” She stood and turned, pulling her hand back to pitch the bottle to Chat Noir. Her earrings beeped again. “Chat!” She shouted, voice muffled by the fabric of her ski mask. 

 He changed his pose, ready to catch the bottle like an American Football player eager to catch a ball. Ladybug pulled her arm back. Hoping to get in one last jibe, Cauchemarquant said, “But I hear you’re a little too clumsy to make a throw? Aren’t you?”

 Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Dream on.” Why bother monologuing now? She had two minutes on her Miraculous, her boyfriend was ready with his cataclysm, and this was all over for her. 

 Her voice dripping with vile, Cauchemarquant replied. “Alright, then prove me wrong...Marinette.”

 The pill bottle clattered to the ground. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 “Coccinelle, demoiselle, bête à bon dieu/ Coccinelle, demoiselle, envole toi jusqu’au cieux!”: Do you recognize this song?? Months and months ago when I wrote this scene, I decided it would be a cute inside joke, so I added the scene in [chapter 9 of "You're My Lucky Charm"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717156/chapters/34645046) where Chat sings this song to Ladybug the first time. Fun little behind-the-scenes thing!
> 
> Anyway. [This is the actual song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6yWzBtLiBU) Chat only sings the first part. Translates to: Ladybug, little lady, creature of God/ Ladybug, little lady, fly up to heaven!  
> 2"J'suis une p'tite bête qui monte, qui monte, qui monte, qui monte, guili guili guili!": I am a little bug/pest who climbs, who climbs, who climbs...tickle tickle tickle!!"  
> [ This is the actual song. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCtKUpgPqps) Marinette skips the first little part which goes "In my garden, there is a basin (like a bird bath). In my basin there is a bug." She skips right to the part about being a bug who tickles you!! This song is like our "eensy weensy spider". [Also, those learning French who are mad I just said "J'suis", when speaking casually, the French will often contract things that technically shouldn't be contracted. You hear it in the recording, too, when they say "Il y a une petite" as " 'y'a une p'tite". You still have to write it correctly!!]  
> 3Le goûter: "The snack", or snacktime. Usually specifically refers to 5 pm snack (like English teatime).  
> 4"Cauchemarquant": Pun combining the words "Cauchemar" (nightmare) and "marquant" (remarkable). I'm very proud of this pun. :) She's, uh, like Sandboy, except written before he existed, and more mental than literal.  
> 5"Cauchemarrant": Pun combining the words "Cauchemar" (nightmare) and "marrant" (funny).  
> 6"CaucheMarinette": Pun combining the words "Cauchemar" (nightmare) and "Marinette". Hey! I bet you figured this one out!  
> 7(Various cries of terror in a variety of European languages):  
> English (x2), Italian (x1): "Santa, please don't do it", French (x1) "Owwww!", English (x1), French (x1) "Nooo, nooo, I'm coming, Papa! I'm coming!", English (x2), French (x1) "It's closing! It's closing! St. Joan, save me!", English (x1), Spanish (x1) "I need you, please! I-", English (x1)


	14. Waking up from a Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRYYYYYY FOR THE DELAY. You guys know how life just....sweeps you up from under your feet? Uch. Terrible sometimes.  
> Anyway, we have a lovely new chapter which was written to be a relief from the tension of last chapter (and the tension of this entire arc), so hopefully you guys, uh... _remember_ what happened.
> 
> By the way, your comments have been very interesting to me. I still have about 3 chapters to write before the story is done, and they're giving me questions and paths I hadn't planned to take...we'll see what happens together, I guess.
> 
> Also, this story gets VERY VERY T in this chapter. By far the farthest it's ever going. We have a hot and heavy make-out (stress make-outs are very, erm, intense) in the second section. If you'd rather skip it, it's not plot relevant. Just read the first and last sections.

Chat Noir was ready to catch a flying akumatized object. He planned to scream for cataclysm as it flew, catching it and destroying it in one awesome move, a cinematic spin, a roaring finale worthy of making Ladybug squeal for him in pride and primal desire.

He was not ready to catch an object dropped unceremoniously at the feet of their villain.

“Hey, what kind of throw was that?” Chat asked, pouncing over a mass of screaming victims and closer to Ladybug. The villain had been possessed again momentarily by Hawk Moth, so she was frozen stiff. As stiff as Ladybug. “Buginette, why did you drop it?” Chat asked, approaching Ladybug. But Marinette wasn’t looking at him, wasn’t responding. When he looked into her eyes, the only thing Adrien could see of his girlfriend at all, they were wide and scared. Concerned, Chat grabbed her hand. “Are you okay?” 

“Chat Noir! Let me see your nightmares!” Cauchemarquant taunted. 

“Let me sleep on that. Hmm, no!” Chat snapped. He put a hand on Ladybug’s shoulder, finally getting her attention.  _ Good, she’s not actually frozen! _ “My Lady, the akuma.” Ladybug blinked rapidly. She started to shake and a very wobbly, very high-pitched, terrified noise slipped out from behind her ski mask. That noise was an iron fist around Chat’s heart. “Are you ready to catch it? I’m going to break the pill bottle.”

Ladybug swallowed so hard, he could see her throat move. Slowly, she nodded. Chat sighed...what was wrong with his girl? Could she fix whatever was bothering her with her own lucky charm?

He could only pray that she could.

Chat twirled around, shouting for a cataclysm, and smacked his hand down on the pill bottle. It crumpled into dust, a dark butterfly rising out of the remains. Expectantly, Chat looked at the other half of their well-oiled machine. But Ladybug was still shaking as the butterfly rose into the sky. “Ladybug!” he yelped.

Quickly, Chat grabbed the yo-yo out of his girlfriend’s frozen hand. He tugged on it, releasing the now-normalized woman, momentarily unconscious and dropping her onto the ground. Chat stuffed the yo-yo back in Marinette’s hand, softly holding that hand it for a half second longer. “Catch it, Buginette!” Ladybug squeaked in terror again, eyes wide on Chat. God, he wished he could see her face. But it was probably heartbreaking, so half of him was glad he hadn’t. “Catch it!”

“Okay,” she squeaked, weakly throwing her yo-yo up and letting it fall to the ground, empty.

“Try again, Bug! You got this!”

She threw it once more, snatching the butterfly before it disappeared. “J-J’ai eu…” [1] As if it was her first time and not her hundred-somethingth, Chat cheered for Ladybug’s success. Both of her  hands shook, making it hard for her to push the release spot. So Chat held her right hand softly, his other paw curling around her waist for comfort. With some wobbly finger work, Ladybug managed to press the release button and mutter, “Bye-bye, little butterfly,” to the little bit of flying magic.

 “Okay. Now your lucky charm. Let’s take off your lucky charm.” 

 He raised a hand to her cloth mask and Ladybug shrieked, her other hand yanking it back down. “Chat, I don’t want to!”

 What was _wrong_? “My Lady, you...you have to. All the people…” he gestured to the Parisians still on the ground, yelling and crying and running around in terror. 

 “Our people…” she agreed. Her hand went to his, squeezing it tightly. Ladybug nodded, gathering her emotional strength. The other hand yanked off the lucky charm, tossing it in the air and yelling with much more force than normal, “Miraculous Ladybug!”

 Chat kept his eyes on his lady. He liked to watch her fix the wreckage of the akuma and sincerely hoped keeping his eye on Marinette, he’d see just that. But as the magic ladybugs swarmed the streets and woke the citizens from their nightmares, not one touched Ladybug herself. Ladybug’s eyes were still wide in terror, her grip scared and not loving, her posture worse than even during their first battle. The bitter, mid-December breeze felt as foreboding as it did cold. Chat frowned and swallowed. “Let’s take you home, bug.”

Ladybug wrapped her arms around Chat. Typically, a joint escape was the other way around, but Chat couldn’t say he was surprised. He glanced apologetically at the woman regaining her consciousness on the floor. “Madame, you’re going to be okay. You were akumatized, but it’s alright now. Ladybug and I have to go.” He took off at a ran, pole vaulting them both onto a nearby roof. Chat swung Ladybug into a more comfortable bridal-hold and took off at a run towards the bakery. 

He was determined to get there as soon as possible, not minding the occasional beeps from their miraculi. The only noise he did mind nearly made him trip and puke. Marinette was crying.

He had to go faster.

 Chat made it to Marinette’s balcony in record time, before either of them were even on their last beep. He kicked open her skylight, dipped into the bedroom, and laid Marinette on the bed. “Plagg, detransform me,” he asked. As soon as his suit was off, Adrien climbed onto the bed with Ladybug, curling into her side. She _must_ have been touched by the akuma. She must be living a nightmare. But what was it? And more importantly, why didn’t it stop like all the other Parisians? Adrien stroked Ladybug’s bangs, wiping her tears off her face whenever they appeared. His heart broke more with every shuddering sob.

 “What’s wrong?” Plagg asked, hovering closer to Marinette. “What’s wrong with her?”

 “I don’t know, Plagg,” Adrien said sadly. “I think it was the akuma.”

 Marinette’s earrings started to frantically beep. Plagg and Adrien didn’t pay them any mind, Plagg instead asking, “Should I get her cheese? Or sweets? Ladybug likes sweets, right? A blanket? I can sing her a song!”

 Adrien smiled at his kwami, hovering here and there around Marinette’s head and occasionally dipping in to nudge her softly with his head. “How come you don’t treat me like this, Plagg?”

 “I would if you were crying like her, Adrien,” Plagg said. There was no humor in his voice, just worry. “If it was the akuma, why is she still like this?”

 The earrings screamed one last time and a blast of pink nearly blinded Adrien. He shut his eyes at the bright light, then opened them again, curling even closer to Marinette without her suit. Tikki rose into the air, and then immediately dipped back down to Marinette’s face. Tikki stroked her face, softly ‘shush’ing her charge. “It wasn’t the akuma’s attack. Not directly,” Tikki told Plagg and Adrien quietly. She turned back to Marinette. “Marinette, Marinette. You need to tell Adrien what happened.”

 For the first time in nearly four minutes, Marinette spoke. It was watery, stuttery, and almost unintelligible. “Tikki, I c-c-can’t! Tikki! Tikki, oh my god, I’m going to lose you, Tikki I can’t!”

 Adrien sat up taller, eyes wide. “What? Why is she going to lose you?!”

 “She’s not going to lose me. You’re not going to lose me, Marinette!” Tikki stroked Marinette’s face, shushing her again. “Tell Adrien what happened..”

 “A-A-Adrien...Adrien…” Marinette sobbed again, throwing her face into the pillow. “Adrien, I’ve r-r-ruined us! I ruined everything!”

 “Mon amour, I’m sure that’s not true,” Adrien told her, now rubbing her back. “Sit up, cherie. Sit up. What’s wrong? What happened?”

 Marinette took five big, shuddering breaths and steadied herself. She sniffled loudly, tears still slipping down her face. It looked like sitting up helped her regain her composure, but Adrien’s heart was still crushed into dust at Marinette’s face. It was red and blotchy, covered in snot and tears and the absolute worst combination of terror and sadness. “Adrien, she talked to Le Papillon. Like th-they always do. B-b-b-b-but then...She said…” Marinette inhaled deeply, exhaling in a shudder that nearly made her sob again. So she tried a second time. “She called me ‘Marinette’.”

 His girlfriend could have punched Adrien in the gut and gotten the same reaction. 

 Adrien blinked twice, then leaned in and whispered, as if scared someone else would overhear. “She called you ‘Marinette’?”

 Marinette sniffled and nodded. “She called me ‘Marinette, and-and-and talked about string, and being clumsy and…” She looked over at Adrien, the tears in Marinette’s eyes reflecting her terror. “Adrien, she _knows_.”

 “How can she know? We’ve been so careful! _You’ve_ been so careful! Tikki, isn’t there some kind of magic that protects her identity?”

 Tikki looked over from Marinette’s other shoulder, where she was resting. “Yes. It helps slow understanding and reduces facial recognition. But if someone has already figured it out, the magic stops working until they lose their understanding. I’m sure you’ve noticed that you recognize Marinette as herself even in costume now, don’t you?”

 “So...if the akumatized person knew Marinette was Ladybug, the magic wouldn’t work? And what about…” Oh, god. If the akumatized person knew, and they shared minds with Le Papillon, then…

 “Le Papillon,” Marinette whispered, saying what Adrien didn’t dare. “She talked to him and _then_ taunted me. With my name.” The room fell silent with the weight of the problem. Marinette took another shuddering breath, and inhaled, dry and raspy. “We have a lot of talking to do, Adrien.”

 “Let’s take care of you first, Buginette,” Adrien said, rubbing Marinette’s arm. “You’re scared. We can’t solve anything while you’re feeling such strong emotions.”

 Plagg, who was also sitting on Marinette’s shoulder with Tikki, scoffed. “Big words coming from you, Adrien.”

 “Yeah, well, I’m speaking from experience,” he rebutted. A tear slipped down Marinette’s cheek, so Adrien leaned over to kiss it away, then kiss the other one pooling near her eye. She sighed and leaned into him. “Let me get you a glass of water,” Adrien said, lowly. Against his cheek, Marinette nodded.

 Adrien stood up, leaned down and softly kissed Marinette’s lips. She replied hungrily, her lips wet from tears and soft from nervous chewing. It was not a goodbye kiss, but a _don’t leave me, I’m scared, please stay_ , kiss that nearly knocked Adrien out by the knees. When he finally broke apart, he murmured into her mouth, “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

 He walked to the trap door and took one last look at his partner, his beacon of strength. Today, it was his turn to lift her up. “I love you, Marinette.” How many times had he told her he loved her in the past 52 days of dating her? And yes, he counted the days. He’d given her a new sewing machine on day 50. He’d counted the days, but not the ‘I love you’s. Since Ladybug had always known Chat’s feelings, ‘I love you’s flooded their language daily. But they rarely had the weight and veracity of today’s.

 “I love you too, Adrien,” she croaked back. He could see another tear glimmering and wanted to drop the door handle, run back, cradle her face in his arms and never leave that bed. But he decided to show his love another way and get her the water that she clearly needed.

 Adrien slipped down the stairs to get a glass of water, around the hallway, into the kitchen, and directly into Mme Cheng. “Oof. Adrien! Dis donc, when did you get here?”

 Adrien froze. Sabine backed up, a confused look on her face. Not unpleasant, but definitely confused. “Um, I...just barely, Madame. I was just...getting water for Marinette.” He scratched the back of his neck, looking around Sabine. Maybe if he left the conversation soon enough, she’d forget he was ever there?

 “I’m just surprised we didn’t see you come in. I’ve been in the boulangerie all day...did you come in through the side house entrance?”

 “Uh...y-yes?”

 “Funny,” Sabine muttered, turning back into the kitchen. Why did she have to go there, too? “I thought I locked that door.”

 “It-it was. Marinette opened it for me!”

 “Oh, she did?” Sabine’s voice no longer sounded pleasant. “She knows we need to know when she has visitors. Especially you!” Quickly, she turned, touching Adrien lightly on the elbow and flashing him a soft smile. “That’s just the rule with all romantic visitors, Adrien. We trust you, of course, but…she _knows_ the rule…”

 “Madame Cheng, I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it. She, um…she’s not feeling well.”

 “She’s not?”

 Adrien swallowed hard. Was he starting to sweat? “No, she’s...not. She texted me and told me to come over right away...because she’s not feeling well! And that she’d open the door so I could get...her...water. I’m sure she was going to tell you!”

 Sabine raised an eyebrow, not buying some part of the story. “Marinette couldn’t get her own glass of water, but she could open the door for you?”

 Adrien scratched the back of his neck, flashing what he hoped was a winning smile. It wasn’t. “No, see...um, she let me in and started...uh, telling me about her thing. The bad thing. Her not feeling well! And then I went to get the water she wanted.”

 “Well, then what’s wrong? Does she need me?” Sabine set down the pile of mail she’d just grabbed, starting a walk towards the stairs.

 “It’s nothing!” Adrien squeaked, holding her wrist. “She’s just having a bad day. You know what would be great? Not visitors, she’s, uh, that’s why she didn’t tell you, I think! Because she didn’t want to worry you! But instead she needs…” Adrien looked around the kitchen, frantic for a distraction. Moms. Moms. Sabine was a mom. What did his mom used to do when he felt bad? Besides hugging, that wouldn’t work...what _did_ she do…

 “Some comfort food! That’s what my mom used to do. I don’t mean to impose, but I think that would really help her feel loved. That’s all she needs.”

 Sabine turned back to Adrien, looking at him thoughtfully, sadly. “That’s a very sweet idea. I’m glad your mother did that for you, loulou. Marinette’s moods can be volatile, so I’m not sure...but what happened?”

 “With what?”

 “With Marinette, Adrien. Why is she so upset and want to be alone?”

 “It...was...Chloé?” Adrien said weakly.

 Sabine’s shoulders fell. From body language alone, it seemed like Adrien finally hit something that made sense to her. “Chloé Bourgeois. I cannot believe that.” Spinning once more back to the kitchen, Sabine said louder, “Actually, yes I can! Adrien, if she wasn’t your friends, I would have some choice words about that young lady. What did she say to my daughter?”

_ God, _ it was hard lying to Marinette’s family. It wasn’t even the emotional investment-- it was the follow-up questions! “She said…”  _ something close to the truth...what did Chloé say... _ but no, Chloé had been nice in school today. A few underhanded compliments, but nothing vicious. She was too wrapped up in telling everyone how she would be visiting Chiara for Christmas in Switzerland, and then bringing her back for New Years in Paris. “She hurt her feelings.” That was vague enough to probably be true!

Sabine tuttered her tongue, pulling down a cookbook and rifling through it. “Marinette’s skin has gotten so much thicker around that girl. Whatever she said must have been awful to stick like that...or maybe about one of her friends! Did she insult Alya, too? No, Alya wouldn’t have put up with it. Or maybe that sweet Harprèle girl?”

“You know, Madame Cheng, I actually wasn’t there. I just show up when Marinette needs me.”

Sabine turned to look fondly at Adrien. “That’s why you’re such a great kid, Adrien Agreste. We’re lucky we have you for our Marinette. It must have been a pretty cruel thing for Marinette to ignore our family rules. I’ll have to talk to her about that later. Adrien, would you mind telling Tom that I’m taking the rest of the night off to make Yan Du Xian soup? And have you had le goûter[1] yet?”

“Non, Madame.”

“Fetch yourself a pastry while you’re in there, and something for Mari. You like a little cheese with your goûter, don’t you? Oh, and that water she wanted! Let me get that for you as well. Don’t forget your orange juice. It is le goûter after all! Oh, just stop here on your way back up from the shop.” She turned back into the kitchen, climbing up a step-stool to reach soup ingredients and muttering under her breath in Mandarin. Adrien didn’t understand everything she said, but he knew enough to know she was very,  _ very _ mad at the very,  _ very _ innocent Chloé.

 By the time Adrien was allowed back into Marinette’s room, he was struggling to push the door open with his head. It ended up being Tikki who lifted the door and Adrien climbed up balancing a tray laden with four glasses, two pain-au-chocolat, two croissants, two macarons, and a generous melty wedge of Reblochon cheese. “Okay, so your mom is mad because she thinks you let me in without telling her, which I guess is true, but she’s not mad right now because she thinks Chloé said something to hurt your feelings, or maybe she thinks Chloé hurt Mylène’s feelings…? It’s kind of a blur. I’m invited for dinner, we’re having soup for dinner by the way, your father is convinced we’re both going through growth spurts and that’s why we eat so much, and I’m a terrible liar around your family.”

 Marinette giggled. Her laugh was still weak from crying, but with both kwamis cuddling her cheeks and wrapped in a fluffy blanket, she looked and sounded the prettiest Adrien had ever seen. “I’m okay with you being a terrible liar around my family.”

 Adrien set the plate of food down on the desk. Immediately, the two kwamis flew to it as if magnetically pulled. They hadn’t eaten since either hero dropped their transformation, Adrien remembered, but not even Plagg had complained. It looked like everyone here was pushing themselves to comfort Marinette. “You look comfortable and pretty, Cookie.”

 “I look pretty?” Marinette asked, her voice flat. “I’ve been crying. I probably have snot on my face and-and-and-”

 Adrien climbed back on the bed with her, grabbing her two hands. “You always look pretty to me. Now...are you ready to talk about this?”

 “No,” Marinette mumbled. She met Adrien’s gaze and took a deep breath. He watched as before his eyes her expression steeled into one of Ladybug’s. “But we have to. We have to talk about this. I’m scared of what this means, Adrien. If Le Papillon knows who I am, he can take my miraculous so much easier. Maybe it isn’t safe for me to stay as Ladybug.”

 “I think that’s a little extreme.”

 “Is it?” Marinette asked, fiddling with an earring. Adrien caught how rigid Tikki stood the moment she started to swivel the tiny black miraculous. Marinette’s hand dropped and Tikki returned to devouring her macaron. “If he gets my miraculous, he’s not only halfway to whatever terrible goal he has for Paris...but then no one can stop him, either. You certainly can’t do it alone.

 “But I don’t _want_ to give up being Ladybug. I love her. I love what she’s given me, I love saving Paris, I love the freedom and the adrenaline, I love being your partner, and I love _having_ you.”

 “As Ladybug?”

 “Yes, but…” Marinette looked away from Adrien. “I just meant as my boyfriend.” 

 Adrien frowned. In the eyes of the public, Ladybug didn’t even have a boyfriend. Marinette made them do a triple-check for security before she would even kiss his cheek in costume. How the heck would giving up Ladybug negatively affect her having a boyfriend? “I thought you said Ladybug doesn’t officially have a boyfriend. Why would that change?”

 Marinette laughed, a dry, sarcastic laugh. “You wouldn’t be dating me if I wasn’t Ladybug.”

 “What?! Marinette, what? That’s ridiculous!”

 “No, it’s not. You fell for Ladybug first. We only started dating _after_ we found out about our identities. Adrien, you love me because I’m both people. You tell me that all the time. If I’m just half of me, if I lose my interesting half….”

 “Your interesting half? Chèrie, no. Marinette, no!” Adrien held her chin, pulling Marinette’s focus. His eyebrows were pushed together so much it hurt him a little, but not as much as his heart hurt. “I’m in love with both sides of you 100%. This isn’t a 50% Ladybug, 50% Marinette thing. Or any other breakdown. I fell for Ladybug instantly. Like magic. The moment I saw you save the day, I fell. But Marinette...I fell for your every day side so naturally, I didn’t even notice. You fit into my life until I couldn’t imagine life without you, and the only life I _wanted_ to imagine had even more of you in it. I wanted to ask you out before I ever found out about Ladybug...I’ve told you that. If you were just Marinette, my feelings wouldn’t change. Not at all!”

 “That’s very sweet, Adrien.”

 Adrien groaned. “Why don’t you believe it, then?”

 “You said it yourself. You fell in love with Ladybug ‘like magic’. ‘Instantly’. Before you knew anything about me. Probably…” she pointed over at the kwamis, almost full and eating slower as they tried to eavesdrop. “Because of them. Ladybug and Chat Noir, yin and yang.”

 “She’s got a point,” Plagg offered, unhelpfully. “My devotion to Tikki definitely impacts all my Chat Noirs in one way or another.”

 Tikki huffed in frustration. “Plagg, you’re going to make things worse. That was the wrong time to say that!”

 “See?” Marinette said, voice higher in pitch and a little weaker. Evidently she noticed too, as Marinette took a long chug of her water. “See? If I have to give up Ladybug, you’ll just...you’ll just _fall in love_ with the next one.”

 “No, I won’t.”

 “How can you know that?”

 “Because this love isn’t going anywhere, Marinette. It’s you as a person I’m in love with, not the suit you wear. No one could compare with you.”

 “I’m sure the next Ladybug will also be a ‘wonderful person’, Adrien. I mean, your other best girl friend is Chloé Bourgeois! My mother is probably making an effigy of her right now and you find enough goodness in her to consider her a friend. You’re so loving, you could probably find something redeemable in Le Papillon...I’m positive that you will easily find something to love in the next Ladybug.”

 Adrien could feel himself getting frustrated. It felt awful to be mad at such a sad, worried, wonderful girl. But how was she not seeing how much he loved her? How were they arguing over this? _Don’t let your emotions get the best of you, Adrien...calm down...she’s just upset..._ he told himself. Adrien grabbed his own glass of water, drinking it slowly. He counted down from ten. Okay. “Cookie, what can I do to convince you that I would never leave you for a different Ladybug?”

 Marinette didn’t answer right away. She stood up, picked out a pain au chocolat, and returned to the bed, a foot farther away from Adrien than before. She looked at her pastry, chewed off a corner, and continued sitting in silence. “I don’t know,” she finally said, softly. “It hasn’t even been two months of us dating.”

 “53 days.”

 Marinette sent Adrien a weak smile. “I know that much. The sewing machine told me so. I meant that I don’t think I’m...secure in this yet, chaton.”

 “I’d stop.”

 “You’d stop dating me?”

 “No, I’d stop being Chat Noir.”

 Plagg groaned. “ _This again_?!”

 Adrien looked at the kwamis, Tikki marching over to shush her companion. “Plagg, it is not your turn! Let them talk first!”

 Marinette’s eyes were on the kwamis too, but she looked back at Adrien. “You don’t have a reason to stop, Adrien. Le Papillon doesn’t know about you! I’m not worth more than all of Paris.”

 “You are to me.”

 “That’s n’importe de quoi. There are over 2 million people out there. It matters more that they have a savior than that one girl has a boyfriend.”

 “So, they’d get a new Chat Noir! Master Fu will find someone else!”

 “You love being Chat Noir. It means everything to you.”

 “I can still be free without him. I can be with you, Marinette.”

 “Don’t do this, Adrien. Don’t even joke about it.”

 “Then _you_ don’t do this!” Adrien’s voice cracked. He kept going, voice weakened. “I _can’t_ be Chat Noir without you, Marinette. It would hurt too much. And not just because there’d be a new Ladybug. Everything we do, we do together. I could never keep doing that without my partner. And you’re my partner; you’re it for me.” Marinette leaned forward, wiping a tear off Adrien’s face that he hadn’t felt falling out. “Hey, I’m supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around.”

 “I thought you just said we were partners. My pain is your pain, isn’t it?”

 Adrien sniffled loudly and held her soft hand against his cheek. “Yeah. Yeah it is.” A beat. “I don’t want to lose any part of you. I won’t let it happen.”

 “...Is it our turn yet?” Plagg whispered loudly. “They’re taking this harder than they have to.”

 “Oh, Plagg. This is scary! I don’t blame them! Do you want to lose Adrien?”

 “Of course I don’t. I just mean that they should talk to Master Fu before they plan such dramatic finales to their time as Ladybug and Chat Noir. He’s seen this happen before.”

 Marinette looked up from her boyfriend and over to the kwamis. “He has? Past Le Papillons have found out?”

 Tikki shook her head. “There haven’t really been a lot of ‘past Le Papillons’...not in the way you think. Nooroo normally has very sane, good people as his charges. People who just want to help the population be strong and live their dreams. People who understand _empathy._ But there _have_ been Miraculous Holders in the public view before. It’s not a good idea. I don’t...I don’t like it.” Tikki didn’t say anything else. Her eyes looked sad and far away and obviously, she didn’t think her memories were beneficial to share right now. “I think what’s important is the emotions behind what you two are sharing today. Marinette, you don’t want to lose me or Adrien. Neither of us want to lose you...that’s for sure! And Adrien, you feel the same about Marinette and Plagg. Plagg was right...we really should all talk to Master Fu before we make any rash decisions. I don’t think tonight should be for solutions. This is really bad. This is really scary. Today should just be for understanding that, laying low...staying safe.”

 Adrien ran a hand lazily around Marinette’s pigtail, out of place and frazzled, as he replied. “I think we all understand that.”

 “Tikki,” Marinette started, “I’m a little surprised you don’t want to solve this right away. I mean… Le Papillon _knows_. He could be at my door demanding my miraculous any...any minute.”

 “Which is why we can’t do anything rash,” Tikki answered. “If he suspects you, Marinette, he will have an eye on you.  Here at your home, you can protect yourself. You can...hide me, if you have to. If you go to Master Fu tonight, you may draw attention to him and all the other miraculi he guards. ”

 Marinette’s eyes darkened. “I hadn’t thought of that.” She quietly looked around her room, as if deciding how she was going to spend the rest of her life living here. _Great, Tikki, thanks. Now Marinette is going to sequester herself here. This is so much better_ , Adrien thought bitterly.

 Plagg chuckled at something and flew over to Adrien. “I’m rubbing off on you, kid,” he muttered, lowly. “Good thing Tikki can’t hear you, too.”

 Adrien looked at Plagg in shock. Had he... _Had he read my mind_? As if responding, Plagg winked. And then he spoke up, loud enough for both teenagers to hear. “So that’s Tikki’s advice. Sit around and don’t get caught. It’s good advice! I love it! I wish Adrien would sit around a little _more_! My advice follows...you two look like the walking dead. You need that comfort food I can smell downstairs.” He inhaled deeply, dreamily. “Get some of your energy back.”

 Marinette and Adrien followed Plagg’s lead. The soup’s fragrance was wafting up the stairs, through the cracks around the trapdoor. “ _Soup,_ ” Marinette said softly. “I mean, it’s not my Uncle’s recipe, but...I love this stuff.”

 “Oh! I need to call Nathalie about dinner!” Adrien said. He smacked his palm to his forehead. “In all the stress I absolutely forgot.” While pulling out his phone he noticed Marinette, looking absolutely distressed. 

 “You’re not going home, are you? Mon Chat, you’re not leaving me?”

 Adrien turned back in surprise. One hand held his phone, the other grabbed Marinette’s hand. “My Lady, no, never. I’m telling her I can’t go home. I don’t care what she says; I’m staying with you tonight. If I don’t call, they’ll come looking. That’s much worse.”

 Marinette calmed down quickly. She was obviously on edge; it was obviously easy to set her off tonight. “I’m just going to call,” he repeated. Marinette nodded, and Adrien opened his phone to dial for Nathalie. She picked up around the fourth ring. 

 “Adrien, hello,” Nathalie answered curtly.

 “Hi, Nathalie. I’m at Marinette’s right now and her parents invited me to dinner. Can you let Father know I’m staying here?”

 “Adrien, you have piano practice tonight. You can’t just abandon it.”

 “I know, Nathalie, but…” he looked over at Marinette, then turned back forwards. “I need to stay here. Marinette isn’t, uh, feeling well.”

 Nathalie was silent. “What seems to be the problem?”

 Adrien blinked. He wasn’t surprised that Sabine had pressed for details, but Nathalie? “She’s not contagious, if that’s what you’re worried about. She just had a bad day.”

 “She had a bad day...bad enough for you to skip piano practice.” Nathalie didn’t say it as a question, just a fact.

 Which it was, so Adrien replied, “Yes, that’s right.” Nathalie stayed quiet on the other end for a moment. Then another moment. And soon, Adrien was worried he’d lost the call. “Allo…?”

  “Very well. You may stay. I will inform your father that you are at Nino’s for dinner tonight.”

 “Nino’s? But I’m with-”

 “-And if he asks, Marinette was with her parents all afternoon, unable to see you.”

 “Nathalie, that isn’t what I-”

 “Nino’s.” Nathalie repeated, her voice growing cold. Colder than it had been for almost a month. Why was it that when he _wanted_ Nathalie to lie she wouldn’t, but when he was just fine with the truth, she went off telling stories? “Please corroborate with Nino and Marinette,” she added. “The next time your father or I see Marinette, she should be in high spirits.”

 “Um...okay?”

 “Make sure she is. Remember, you’re at Nino’s. Marinette is with her parents and has been all afternoon. You will repeat this story if asked. Please be home by curfew. Goodnight, Adrien.”

 “Goodnight, Nathalie.”

 The phone clicked off and Adrien sat, dumbfounded. What had just happened...and _why_? He turned around, speaking slowly, as if he might figure out what was going on that way. “So...she said I can stay...but she’s going to tell Father that you’re with your parents...and have been all day. And, uh, I’m supposedly at Nino’s right now.” He opened a text with Nino, messaging him the same unnecessary alibi. “I didn’t ask her to lie for me, so I don’t know why she is, but...cool, I guess?”

 “Are you not supposed to be here?” Marinette asked, clearly just as confused as he. Plagg and Tikki looked at eachother, their expressions unreadable. 

 “I mean, it wasn’t scheduled. But she just wants me home by curfew.” Adrien’s phone buzzed and he looked down- Nino had replied with a photo of himself, firing finger guns and winking. “I guess I’m glad that Nathalie’s willing to cover for us if we need to. Obviously, Nino is too,” he said, showing Marinette the selfie.

 Marinette chirped in surprise when her own phone buzzed. She looked at it and a rare smile flickered on her face. She laughed once. “Now Nino and Alya think we’re up to something naughty.”

 “We could be!” Adrien offered, raising his eyebrows suggestively. He didn’t get to hear Marinette’s answer as there was a knock on the trap door. “Hold that thought,” he said, and lifted the door to let Sabine in the room as the kwamis hid. 

 “Cou-cou, you two. Dinner is ready. Marinette, mon cœur...are you up to eating downstairs with us? Adrien told me you had a rough day.”

 “Yeah, I think it would be nice to get out of my room,” Marinette agreed. Following her lead, Adrien went downstairs for the soup dinner. 

 He watched Marinette with interest as she ate. From the first spoonful of soup, it seemed to fill her eyes and warm her cheeks. Sabine and Tom spoke softly, discussing the cold weather, their work day, the Christmas rush, and not pressing Marinette to talk. Adrien noticed how masterfully they waltzed around topics of school or friends, clearly having believed Adrien’s story. Marinette took her time eating. She seemed to savor the moments away from discussion of Ladybug and The Miraculous as much as she savored her mother’s comfort food. 

 Adrien and Marinette helped with dishes and after, when Marinette glanced up at her trapdoor with caution, Adrien suggested they stay downstairs and play a game. She looked relieved. 

 The four of them played Scrabble, which was just competitive enough to mostly distract Marinette. Adrien certainly noticed all the times she fiddled with her black earring studs. 

 Just after Sabine easily secured victory (Adrien was her only real competition), Adrien’s driver arrived to take him home. Marinette looked panicked, so he wrapped her into a hug. “You’re okay, mon Cookie. You’re safe here. You have Tikki, you have your parents...I’m just a phone call away. And tomorrow during lunch, we will go first thing to Master Fu,” he said into her ear. Adrien started to pull away from the hug, but Marinette tightened her grip. 

 “I don’t want to lose this,” Marinette whispered. 

 “You won’t.” He kissed her with that promise on her lips. 

 Finally, Adrien had to pull away. He kissed both of Marinette’s hands and looked into her eyes. They were the same eyes Ladybug had every time Chat Noir was about to sacrifice himself for her...every time he left her to finish off an akuma alone. Adrien had to turn his head to not cry and stay in those arms for his whole life.

\---

 Adrien got home in silence, answering Nathalie with a convincing lie when she asked about dinner with Nino. He paced around his room, imagining Marinette and knowing she was going to have as much trouble sleeping as he was. And Adrien knew he couldn’t leave her to sleep alone tonight. “Plagg,” Adrien said, breaking the silence of his room. 

 Plagg sighed and flew out of his pocket. “Your Lady?”

 “You know it.” And so, he transformed. 

 Chat Noir could get to Marinette’s rooftop in less than four bounds when he timed them right. He had plenty of time to practice over the past two months, but tonight was different. Tonight, he took all sorts of different turns, stalked through alleys, hid and reappeared, and did all he could to shake off anyone from watching. Marinette’s brush with Cauchemarquant had shaken him, too. 

 Eventually he reached the balcony, slipping and crawling low to not be seen. Chat Noir pulled himself on his belly over Marinette’s skylight and looked into her room. Marinette was curled tightly on her bed, eyes scrunched too tight to actually be asleep. She was squeezing her Chat Noir puppet, something Adrien hadn’t seen off her shelf for awhile. His heart thumped and he knew he had made the right choice tonight. He would not leave her alone. 

 Tikki wasn’t asleep either, pacing around the bed and fluffing pillows. It was Tikki who finally noticed Chat Noir, her tiny frown flipping to a smile. Through the glass, he couldn’t hear her words. But he could hear a soft tinkling something. Marinette’s eyes opened, met Chat’s, and filled yet again with tears. Tikki flew up to the glass and unlatched it, letting Chat slink himself on to the bed and immediately into Marinette’s open arms. 

 “Chat Noir, mon minou, mon amour, don’t leave me,” Marinette whispered, squeezing Chat tight. 

 “I won’t, Buginette, I won’t.” He nuzzled his face against hers, listening to a dry sob. He lay in her arms for a moment as she sobbed, and then rubbed his face along hers to find Marinette’s lips. Chat gently pushed his own against hers and kissed her softly, as if promising to never leave her alone. 

 Once they separated, Marinette’s grip entirely changed. She slammed his body against hers and crushed their mouths together, kissing him hungrily. Tiny mewls of need escaped between kisses as their mouths re-positioned. Chat could feel how badly she needed him- if it wasn’t in the kiss, it absolutely was in her grip. His heart started to pound in his ears and he kissed her harder. 

 Marinette pushed against his chest and immediately, Adrien complied. But she wasn’t stopping them this time. No; Marinette pushed Chat roughly against the wall, sat up, and then grabbed his shoulders and rammed Chat into her own pillows. His blood all left his brain. Marinette’s eyes were dark and hungry and so beautiful, he almost missed his chance to see her straddle his waist. But he definitely couldn’t miss it as the moment she lowered herself, her hips were against his. Chat groaned, arching upwards into her. One of Marinette’s hands pinned Chat’s arm to rest above his head, the other went into his hair. She crashed her lips against his again, biting his lips a little roughly.

  Adrien groaned and his one free hand wrapped around Marinette’s thin cotton shirt. As she bit particularly roughly, he hissed and his claws dug into Marinette’s side, piercing holes in her pajamas. But she didn’t seem to mind. Marinette gasped against Chat’s lips and her body quivered slightly, but she just lowered herself even more flush against his leather suit. She tilted her head slightly to push her tongue into his mouth, moving it purposefully and a little roughly. Chat read her energy and nipped just slightly against it. A good choice, he decided, as her hips jumped and momentarily ground against his own. And holy shit, holy _shit_ , was that part of his body awake. 

 Marinette kept dominating their kiss. She pulled and pressed against his body, his hair, his mouth. She tugged on his cat ear, she slid her hand down his leather chest, she pushed his cheek into the pillow and bit his ear. She worked silently, leaving Chat Noir a squirming, desperate mess beneath her. Typically, when they made out slowly and romantically, he would purr. His Lady loved that, pressing her body against the vibrations in his chest. But today with his heart pounding and Marinette absolutely devouring him, his brain was moving too fast to purr. Instead, he was mewling and his tail was flicking between his legs so fast, it whipped them both. The mewling only stopped when Marinette would push her mouth against his, desperate and hungry and unsatisfied. 

 Chat’s hand squeezed and released Marinette’s side repeatedly, almost kneading her, while she explored. And then her kiss left his mouth. She open-mouth kissed his cheek, his chin, his neck- Chat’s Adam's Apple bobbed against her lips. And then, for the first time since he dropped on top of her, Marinette spoke. “Detransform.”

 “What?” Adrien asked, so lightheaded that he could only whisper. 

 Marinette’s voice was raspy and low. “Detransform, Adrien.”

 She didn’t need to ask a third time. He released the transformation and saw a black blur zip away, but his eyes were all on Marinette’s. Her dark and hooded eyes flashed hungrily again and she bore down on Adrien’s mouth. And as she did, Adrien realized firsthand how much thinner his dayclothes were than super-strong leather body armor. 

 He squealed out and lifted his entire body, pushing it only closer to Marinette. His bare hand was now touching her tiny, thin cotton sleep shirt. She evidently slept braless, because he felt no strap and his chest could feel hers. But he didn’t have time to register that, as it soon became very obvious why Marinette wanted the suit off. 

 She sat up, resting directly on top of Adrien’s core. He grimaced in wonderful pain. Marinette pushed off Adrien’s overshirt and tried to pull down his collar. He could see how immediately frustrated she was, every second wasted like a personal affront. And so Adrien sat up enough to pull the shirt off all the way. It was too dark for Marinette to really see him shirtless- did this count as the first time making out shirtless if she couldn’t see?

 She might not be able to see, but she certainly approved. Resting over his core, she felt warmer than before and groaned in approval before putting both palms on his pecs and slamming Adrien back down onto the bed. Her mouth honed right into his collar bone as her hands stayed on the skin to explore. 

 Adrien didn’t know how much more he could physically take. He groaned and squealed softly and writhed as Marinette’s lips wrapped onto his skin. And then she sucked. His entire body lifted as if she had enough force to suck up more than just that inch of skin. Her teeth rubbed the skin in her mouth and Adrien couldn’t stop squirming. Once she was satisfied, Marinette licked the hot circle of skin and...and then dragged her tongue down to a spot just centimeters higher to start the process again. . His skin at the bottom of his neck pulled thousands of nerves as she sucked it in, softer and even more intense than his collarbone. They had to stop! They had to stop or he wasn’t going to make it. “Marinette, Marinette,” he whined, “too much!”

 Immediately, his girlfriend let go. But she didn’t look happy about it. “Where can I?” She asked, hands running all over his chest. Adrien could feel his blood pounding nearly out of his skin.

  “I...I need to cool down. I’m going to...it’s too much.” With a huff, Marinette sat up. But that just pushed her hot crotch against his painfully restricted one. Adrien grimaced and said, “not helping, mon amour!”

 Marinette was normally very giggly about this sort of thing. Even when their kissing was hot and heavy, she never wore this frustrated took that she had as she swung her body off of him. And Adrien couldn’t leave her frustrated. So, he decided to compromise. “What if I’m on top?”

 She didn’t even say ‘okay’. Marinette grabbed Adrien’s bare shoulders and pulled them both back down. She wiggled under him, flashing a sly smile, and crushed their lips back together. She pulled him down and scraped her nails against his skin. And Marinette obviously needed this- Adrien was just going to have to do everything in his power not to explode. His girlfriend needed this. She needed _him_. 

 One of her legs slipped around his as she devoured Adrien’s mouth and it was very easy for him to slip back into their frantic, hungry kisses fueled by a day of stress and terror. After kissing like that for a bit, she pushed her face to the side and scooted so her neck was below his lips. “Me,” she exhaled. 

 Obediently, Adrien wrapped his lips around a small spot of neck. Marinette yipped in delight, encouraging Adrien to keep working. He sucked and nipped, then sucked and licked, then rotated just slightly to start it all over with the same spot. Marinette was in such delight that she stopped squealing, just inhaling and exhaling with labored breaths. Her nails were still digging into Adrien’s back, releasing slightly when he lifted his mouth away. Without his night-vision, Adrien couldn’t see what he had done, but he was pretty sure it left a mark. 

 Marinette was still breathing slowly, then much slower than before. Then, she pulled Adrien’s half naked body against her. Overtime, her cotton shirt had started to rise up and was now so high, he could see where her skin started to rise into underboobs. Gently, careful not to touch anything off limits, Adrien pulled her shirt back down and snuggled closer. His body was pounding, begging for Adrien to take care of his needs, but Marinette held him like a vice. 

 So what if he got a headache? He wasn’t leaving this bed. Especially not when she snuggled into his chest, one hand resting on his skin, the other laced in his hair, and her head tucked into the crook of his neck. “I love you,” Marinette mumbled. 

 “I love you too,” Adrien responded. If possible, she snuggled even closer. And within four deep breaths, Marinette fell asleep. Adrien followed soon after. 

 —-

 Tikki was the one to wake up Adrien. Her tinkling voice repeated his name until he opened his eyes to look around Marinette’s still dark room. Sunrise wasn’t due for another two hours. “Adrien, you should go home now,” Tikki told him. She flew over to a lamp, turning on a small wash of light across the room. “Before anyone notices you’re gone.”

 He looked from Tikki to Marinette. His darling was wrapped around him tightly, head on his chest. Her hair was clumped together and messy, one ponytail completely out and the other ponytail band hanging uselessly on the end of a few strands of blue-black hair. He didn’t even remember messing up her hair. “I don’t want to leave,” Adrien told the tiny kwami. 

 “I know. But you must.”

 Adrien knew she was right. He slowly ran a hand across Marinette’s back. How was he supposed to go back to regular life? How was he supposed to sleep alone now? As he stroked, she slowly woke up. Marinette’s eyes opened wide enough to see Adrien, then closed again and she snuggled closer, smiling. “I can’t leave her!” He whispered to Tikki. “She’s too cute, Tikki!”

 “Yes, Marinette is very cute. But you still have to go,” Tikki insisted. “She’ll still be cute this afternoon when you go to Master Fu’s together.”

 Evidently, Marinette was awake because she was now drawing circles on Adrien’s bare chest. “We are going to go swimming this summer,” she announced in a sleepy voice, “so I can get you shirtless a lot more often.” Adrien blushed. He had no witty comeback, having been out-flirted by that comment. And then she continued in a way that absolutely didn’t help. “And when we get married, I want you to sleep like this as much as possible.”

 “Okay,” Adrien answered dumbly. 

 Marinette hummed in satisfaction and kept exploring his chest. Her fingers slid over Adrien’s abs (and so what if he flexed them for her right now?) and she seemed perfectly happy to just look and touch. Until Tikki flew close again. “Adrien. Marinette. It’s time to go.”

 “Aw, Tikki. You’re being a buzzkill,” Plagg yelled out from Marinette’s bookshelf. “They’re both happy instead of the moody messes from last night. Can’t we let them be happy?”

 “A little happiness now isn’t worth Marinette losing her boyfriend to getting grounded!” Tikki fired back. 

 Adrien knew enough about their kwamis to know he should be taking Tikki’s advice. He groaned, shuffling from underneath his girlfriend and sat up on the bed. “Adrieeeeen,” Marinette whined. Adrien smiled to himself as she gripped him sleepily. This wasn’t Marinette clinging to him for security. This was Marinette at her cuddliest, looking to give and receive physical affection, playfully whining. Maybe she wasn’t there yet, but she was starting to feel better. “Adrien, come back to bed.” And god, he wanted to hear her say that for the rest of their lives.

 “Chèrie, Tikki is right. It’s still early enough that no one will notice me come home.” Marinette responded by rolling face first into the pillow and muttering something that sounded vaguely like a muffled ‘Fuck Tikki’. Smiling to himself, Adrien leaned over and placed a kiss on sleepy Marinette’s cheek. He noticed just a little lower on her neck she had a bright red mark, speckled with white like a strawberry. He grinned wickedly, kissing the hickey as well. Marinette squirmed in delight under his kiss, but ultimately let him stand up. 

 Plagg flew to Adrien’s side, mumbling “Don’t forget your shirt, Don Juan.” Obediently, Adrien grabbed his shirt from where it had been dropped onto the floor and walked over to Marinette’s mirror. He leaned close, admiring his own hickey just around the collar bone. He smirked at his reflection, trying a few Model Poses to see what best accentuated his two bright red hickeys. Marinette’s desperate teeth had left him with an angry scattering of bold bruises and Adrien had never been more proud of his body. “Yeah, yeah, we get it. Your girlfriend got kinky and bitey. Put on the shirt and let’s get out of here.”

 Adrien’s face was quickly turning red to match his hickeys. “Plagg!”

 But it was too late...a very tired Marinette started shuffling under her blankets towards Adrien. “Lemme see,” she mumbled, motioning him closer with her hand. 

 Tikki sighed, fluttering impatiently now. “Marinette, no! You’re going to get flustered and try making out more and _Adrien needs to leave!_ ”

 “Oh, no I won’t,” Marinette mumbled. Adrien looked from Marinette to Tikki, and at a sigh from Tikki, he put on a Chat Noir smirk. He tossed his shirt over his shoulder and sauntered shirtless towards Marinette. Marinette sat up a little higher in the bed, her eyes raking over Adrien and settling on his hickey. Her eyes darkened and her tongue darted out to wet her lips. 

 “You sure you won’t?” Adrien purred, stepping closer and drummed his fingers along Marinette’s arms. With delight, Adrien watched her eyes objectify him. He would much rather be ogled by this young woman than put on any billboard ever again. He leaned closer, noticing with familiarity how Marinette’s mouth slowly opened and chin turned upwards. 

 And how Tikki squealed. “Nope!” She squealed, flying between the two teenagers like a lost moth. “Nope, nope! She’s thinking it _way_ too loud. Out, you two! Plagg, come get your boy! Out, out, before he gets caught and Marinette loses him for a week!”

 Adrien laughed, backing away from the now pouting Marinette. “I was already on my way out, Tikki.” He pulled his shirt over his head and covering his hickeys, noticing Marinette’s overdramatic pout once he was dressed. “Plagg, transform me,” he called.

 “Thank you, Adrien. See you at lunch, Plagg!” Tikki sang out while green light envelopes and transformed Adrien. Chat Noir leaned down to leave a sweet kiss on Marinette’s pouting lips. 

 “You can go back to bed, Buginette. We still have a few hours before school.”

 “Maybe I will,” Marinette agreed, curling into her cocoon of blankets. “But I’ll miss you.”

 “I’ll miss you too,” Chat agreed. He ran a flawed hand through her hair, releasing that last hanging-on hair tie. One more kiss, a gentle pat on Tikki’s head, and Chat Noir disappeared into the dark early morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1J'ai eu: "Gotcha"  
> 2le goûter: Afternoon snack


End file.
